Forever Waking Up
by AlyssaMellark66
Summary: What if everything that happened in Mockingjay was only a dream? What if Katniss never woke up after the Quarter Quell breakout? Now she's realizing what it's like to miss out on three months of life. Rated T for another Hunger Games.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey! This is my first fanfic. I love the Hunger games series, but I was really unhappy with the way the series ended. My friend and I decided to fix the ending, and so I wrote it down. It's just going to be two or so chapters about how Mockingjay should have ended in my opinion. Reviews would be great cause I'm new to this. Hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games. If I did, Peeta and Katniss would have gotten married at the end of book one. But I don't, so they didn't. Suzanne Collins owns it…I wish I did…**

**Forever Waking Up**

**Chapter 1**

I had just watched my sister die. I watched the small parachute fall to the ground, felt the force of the explosion, felt the pain of loss, and fallen, crumpled, back to the ground. Prim, _my _Prim, was gone. The light from the explosion knocked out my vision. I felt myself searching for light, but never finding it. It also seemed strange that I couldn't feel my body. Not just my legs or arms, but my whole body. And then all feeling came back.

"Katniss, please. Please come back to me.'

Who was saying that? I was right here, crumpled on the ground, dying both inside and out. Why couldn't they see that? But I wasn't. I realized at that moment that the sounds of war had drowned in the recesses of my mind. They were lost. But how could they be? There was just an explosion. I tried to move my arms, though I still hadn't regained my vision.

"Oh my god. She moved. Mrs. Everdeen! Mrs. Everdeen, she moved! She grabbed my hand!'

I recognized the voice. It was Peeta. But why was Peeta here if he was still in the same condition? He could snap at any moment, and in my weakened, blinded state I wouldn't be able to defend myself. He was going to kill me. With all the strength I could muster, I forced open my eyelids. I wasn't outside the President's mansion. I was in a small, white room. The light from the window mixed with the fluorescent lights above me to form a disturbingly bright yellow. A sky blue blanket covered my legs, and I was hooked up to about seven machines. Then I saw him.

He stared at me warily. His blue eyes clouded with worry, and possibly tears. His blonde waves were disheveled, poking out this way and that, as though he hadn't slept in days, and this was confirmed by the deep purple circles under his bloodshot eyes. Peeta reached out to me, and he took my hand. I frowned. Why was he doing this? He hated me.

"Katniss. Oh, Katniss I was so worried. How do you feel?'

"Peeta? What are you doing here? You shouldn't be here. I don't feel like dying today," I said, sitting up and bracing for his attack.

"What are you talking about? Why would I hurt you? I love you. You know that.'

"But…the venom…you tried to kill me…"I questioned.

'Katniss, what is the last thing you remember before you realized you were in this hospital?'

"What do you mean? I just watched my sister die, Peeta! I don't know how you got me here so fast, but I didn't lose my memory. I saw her die, and all those children, too!' How could he not remember? Surely he must have heard the explosion, even if we had split up earlier. How could he not know?

"Katniss,' he began. 'That didn't happen. There was no explosion." My brow furrowed in a mixture of confusion and anger. How dare he say there was no explosion. He continued, "You've been in this bed for three months. I've been with you this whole time.' His hurt expression made me believe him. Well, I believed he thought he spoke the truth. We don't understand completely how tracker-jacker venom works.

"I know you think this is true," I said softly. "But your mind is twisted right now. You're not thinking normally."

He frowned in frustration. Then he spoke with intensity. 'I'll prove it to you.' He left the room, and returned a few moments later. He didn't come back to the side of my bed, however. He went to stand in the corner of the small room. Before I could speak to ask what he was doing, the door squeaked open. In walked a small little blonde girl, her light blue eyes sparkling with wetness. In walked a ghost. In walked my little duck, my Prim.


	2. Chapter 2

**Yay! I'm so excited you guys liked my first chapter! I'm really self-conscious about writing, so it's nice to get a positive response for my first story. I hope you guys like this chapter. I'm trying not to make the characters too OOC, but I also sort of hated the way Katniss was in the last book because I absolutely love Peeta and feel like she should've realized how amazing he is as fast as the other team Peeta readers and I did. I hope you like it.**

Chapter Two

"Katniss?" Prim said. But it couldn't be Prim. Prim was…_dead._ A lump appeared in my throat upon thinking that word in association with my sister. But she was. I saw her explode after Gale's bomb dropped to the ground. _Gale._ Where was he? Had he fled the Capitol after learning of prim's death? And that thought brought me back to the present. Prim was here.

"Prim, how can you be here? How are you…alive?"

She didn't speak. She merely walked over to my bed and sat on the edge of it, a tear running down her cheek. "I could ask you the same question. They told me you were dying. They said I may never hear your voice again," she said softly, her voice breaking. I wrapped my arms around her, crushing our bodies together. If she was dead, why did this feel so real? "Why would they say that," I asked. "Why would they say that when I've been perfectly alive during this God forsaken war?"

Peeta joined us on the bed, though he distanced himself from me, allowing me to have this moment with my sister. "Katniss," he began. "there's something you have to know. You haven't been perfectly alive. You've been here, in this bed, for three months." I stared at him in disbelief. He was wrong. I felt every last second of my time in District 13. Every bruise, every scrape, every emotional pain, and that was a fact.

"You're wrong, Peeta. I've been fighting for our freedom, and you know it."

"Katniss, you've been HERE," he shouted. "I know because I've been with you. I haven't slept an entire night for three months! Three months, Katniss! Do you have any idea what that's like?"

"Peeta, the Capitol screwed up your brain. You don't know what you're talking about."

'If I don't know what I'm talking about, then why is Prim here," he challenged. Now that question I had no answer to. I thought for sure she had to have been killed in that explosion. She was at its center. Unless…unless there really was no explosion. But if there was no explosion, there was no rebellion. And there was no Mockingjay. And there was no hijacking. Peeta would still be Peeta. _My _Peeta. Unchanged, undamaged. And that realization was better than any other.

"So…that means…you weren't hijacked," I questioned. He frowned in confusion. I explained. "You were…well, I thought you were, taken by the Capitol. They tortured you. They poisoned your mind, made you forget me. Made you forget _us. _You…you even tried to kill me. Multiple times." His expression was disgusted.

"Katniss," he said, stroking my hair. "I could never forget you. I love you. None of those things are true. After the explosion in the Quell arena, you never woke up. We thought you were dead until you suddenly started breathing again. They took you back to District 13 and hooked you up to these machines. They said you were in a coma, and you may never wake up."

District 13. so at least that part of my hallucinations was true. It did exist, and they were fighting against the Capitol. "And the rebellion," I asked.

"They're still fighting for control in the Capitol. With the news of your condition, the rebels in the districts were outraged. Even comatose you inspired the uprisings," he laughed. "The districts have been taken over by the rebel forces, but the Capitol still has their endless supply of Peacekeepers fighting for them." I took this all in. I had really slept through all of this? It seemed so surreal. In my mind, I led the rebellion, yet in reality, I hadn't even been conscious for the bulk of it.

"What about all the people I saw hurt? All the people I saw die. Finnick…"

"You mean Finnick Odair?" Prim asked. I nodded, and she grinned at me. "Oh I love Finnick. He and Annie Cresta have been here at least twice a week to visit you. They're married now. They got married after the news was announced that all the districts were freed of the Capitol's control." I felt the tears stream down my cheeks, landing on my legs. Finnick was alive, and with Annie. "Can I see them?"

"Not now, Katniss. I'm sorry. Mom says you shouldn't see too many people at once. We don't know what effect that will have on you. The last thing we want is for you to slip back into unconsciousness." Prim spoke with such maturity. She was not the helpless little twelve year old that I volunteered for so long ago. She was a young woman now. "Speaking of mom," she continued. "I should tell her you're up." I figured that Mom already knew, seeing as the machines I was attached to would've reported it. And then Prim looked at Peeta and winked conspicuously. I blushed furiously. She left the room, and instantly Peeta was at my side. He took my hand in his.

"I waited for you for so long. I thought I would never hear your voice again." His blue eyes glistened with tears. I felt tears well up in my own eyes. And I realized that he really did wait three months by my hospital bed, living on the slim hope that my eyes would somehow flutter open, or my finger would twitch, or I would show any signs of life other than a pulse. I realized that gale was nowhere in sight.

"Did…did Gale come to see me?" Peeta pursed his lips. "at first he did," he said. "But then he started to come less and less. You have to understand how hard it is, Katniss, to sit here and wait, with little to no hope. It's the most painful-" I put a hand over his mouth. "If he cared as much as you, he would have stayed." I looked into Peeta's eyes and could almost see and feel the love in them. A love I knew now that I returned. Peeta was everything to me, and seeing his face first as I woke up to this new reality, well, I wouldn't have it any other way. I was suddenly aware that I was leaning into him. My cheeks flushed, and I bit my lip. Peeta chuckled, and I don't know if it was the fact that he had waited three months by my bedside or just that he got caught up in the moment, but he grabbed my shoulders and pressed his lips against mine. And I kissed him back wholeheartedly, feeling that hunger that I felt in the cave and on the beach, and I knew I never had to let him go. Not ever. When we finally separated, he said, "Katniss, promise me you'll never do that to me again. You'll never make me think you've left me for good. Promise you'll stay with me forever."

"I promise."

"Say it again."

"I promise! But I want to be sure, too. Will _you _stay with _me_?"

He kissed me again and then replied, "Always."


	3. Chapter 3

** Hey everybody! I'm really glad you all liked my first couple chapters. I was originally going to finish off the story here, but I've gotten a lot of comments (most notably from my lovely friend SockMonkie) from people that want me to keep going with it, so I think I'll make this into a full-on story! I'm not sure where exactly I'll go with it, but I can reassure all you Peeta fanatics that there'll be PLENTY of him to come. And as much as I personally dislike Gale, I probably will have to include him, for it wouldn't be the Hunger Games without dumb stupid retarded Gale. I hope you guys enjoy this. Keep reviewing the chapters as they get posted please, because I love getting your feedback!**

** Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own the Hunger Games. What a shock, right?**

**Chapter 3**

Sitting in my hospital bed became more bearable as the people I loved came to visit. I saw Finnick and Annie almost as much as I saw Peeta, which was every second of every day. The two of them looked completely and utterly content. Annie even seemed less distant and unaware of her surroundings as time went on. The four of us practically lived in the hospital room, though at the end of the day, Finnick and Annie went home while Peeta and I were stuck in my personal prison. We didn't mind it much.

I still had nightmares. I dreamt I was back in the fake reality my mind had invented. Every night I watched Prim explode, Peeta stab me through the heart, or Finnick's head being bitten off by the mutts again. But after each nightmare I woke up in Peeta's arms, and the terror seemed to drain away, forgotten. We slept uncomfortably on the small bed, though comfort wasn't really an issue when we were wrapped in each other's arms.

We went on like this for what seemed like months, though it was only a few weeks, until things changed. During one of Johanna Mason's visits to me, filled with suggestive remarks about Peeta and I that made us both blush, my mother entered my room looking worried. Before I could ask her what was going on, she stepped aside, and in walked Gale. My heart dropped into my stomach. "Hey Catnip," he said nervously.

"Where the _hell _have you been?" He looked shocked at my outburst.

"Katniss, I've been…busy. I was worried you wouldn't.-"

I interrupted him. "You were worried I wouldn't what?"

Peeta's eyebrows rose sharply. He rose from the bed and kissed my forehead before ushering out Johanna and closing the door behind him, leaving Gale and I alone. I internally thanked him for his because he would only be worried about me if I were to get too emotional, which was a definite possibility.

"I was afraid you wouldn't want to see me." He looked down at his shoes. I rolled my eyes. "I'm not going to pity you. If it had been you in this bed, I would have stayed," I said matter-of-factly.

He sighed. "I know, but it's different for you." I started to retort, but he put a hand up to stop me. "Don't say it's not. If I had stayed, I would have been in here every waking moment with _him._ And it was very clear he wasn't going anywhere." I paused at this, taking it in. He did have a point. Peeta hadn't left my side, apparently since I had slipped into a coma. But there was something he had forgotten. 'You told me you loved me." I said softly.

"I still do."

"But Gale, if you really loved me you would have been here for me. Just like Peeta."

"Don't you dare compare me to him. We are completely different people. Just because he's willing to give up on the rest of his life for you doesn't mean I'm going to-" He stopped suddenly, realizing what he had said.

"You're right. He is willing to do that for me. We _are _each other's lives. But you…you can move on. You can find someone better than me, who can love you back."

"But Catnip, I don't want someone else. I want you."

As soon as the words had left his mouth, the door flung wide open, revealing a red-faced, heavily-breathing Haymitch. He ran into the room and up to me, hastily ripping out wires and tubes. Peeta and Prim rushed in as well and began packing a small leather satchel in the corner of the room. In the flurry of activity, my inquiries were left unanswered. A furious beeping sound erupted from the hallway through the open door. I was unhooked from the machines now, and Prim rushed over to me carrying a green T-shirt and a pair of black pants. "Put this on." I saw her mouth over the deafening sounds. I quickly dressed, and Peeta shoved a pair of leather boots on my feet, not even bothering to tuck the bottoms of my pants into them. He took my hand and yanked me out the door. When I proved too slow moving, he picked me up and carried me down a long hallway, followed by Prim, my mother, Haymitch, and Gale. We reached a huge doorway, and after briefly conversing with the guard, Peeta ushered us through, and a huge steel door slammed behind us.

"What is going on?" I exclaimed, and this time he answered me.

"The Peacekeepers are here," he huffed. "From the Capitol. Katniss…" He looked into my eyes and worry consumed his features. "They know you're conscious. And they've come…they've come to kill you."


	4. Chapter 4

**Yay, I'm updating! I wasn't sure I would get the chance to update today cause I've got to pack before I go to Arkansas until Tuesday. I will try to update tomorrow morning, but we'll see. I hope you guys like this chapter, and please please please keep reviewing, and I'll keep writing. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hunger Games, duh. And these stupid disclaimers are getting annoying cause I always forget to add them.**

**Chapter 4**

Peeta rushed through the corridors of District 13 with me in his arms, and the rest of our group wasn't far behind. The Capitol's forces were here to kill me. Me, specifically. And if we didn't keep moving to the bunker at the very bottom of the district, they would catch up, killing me _and _my family.

"Haymitch, which way now?" Peeta asked in a rush. Haymitch huffed and puffed behind us, his face turning red. "To…to the…to the left for about a…quarter mile. There's a…steep…incline downwards," he gasped. Peeta nodded and continued to run. If his artificial leg was causing him any pain, he didn't complain. Nevertheless, I was concerned.

"Peeta, you should put me down. I can run," I said over the blaring alarm. He shook his head. "Peeta. You can't run another quarter mile with me in your arms like this. Your leg."

"My leg is fine, Katniss. I don't need to put you down. I can't put you down. You're…too fragile." I rolled my eyes at his overprotective attitude. I put my hand on his cheek. "Then at least rest," I said looking him in the eyes. His expression was pained.

"Fine. Two minutes. Then we keep moving." I nodded in agreement. Our group stopped and pressed against a plain white wall (much like all walls in district 13, I was noticing) ,sliding down into a collective sitting position. Peeta didn't sit. "Peeta sit down. You need to rest until we have to keep going," Prim told him softly, pulling at his sleeve. He shook his head. He wouldn't answer when she questioned why not, but I noticed an imperceptible flicker of his eyes toward his left leg. I leaned over from where I was sitting and lifted his pant leg. I stifled a gasp. Underneath the cloth was a horrifying sight. Blood coated the plastic and metal contraption, trailing down from the stub of where his real flesh had been replaced.

"Oh, god, Peeta. How did this happen?" I asked.

He shrugged. "I don't know. I just know that something came loose and started rubbing against my leg when I ran." Prim moved over to his side, pushing me out of the way. Her little first aid kit opened and she got down to work cleaning his leg and dressing it neatly. We all giggled when she shushed him; he was complaining about wasting time again. "You are my patient," she snapped. "And there is no way you are continuing without being treated properly, so just hush! You're wasting time by complaining!" He was silent, his face slightly reddening. Soon enough she was done, and we all rose to keep moving. Peeta tried to pick me up again, but we told him his leg couldn't take it. After my attempt at walking alone failed, Haymitch lifted me over his shoulder. I oomphed as my stomach made impact on his shoulder. "You know Haymitch," I strained to get out the words despite the pressure on my abdomen. "This would be much more comfortable if you carried me baby-style."

"For you or for me, sweetheart?" he said sarcastically, but he shifted me in front of him nonetheless. We ran for what seemed like miles until we reached another steel door. Peeta gave an official our information, and the guard looked at me worriedly before allowing us to enter. The door swung shut behind us, and a series of locks could be heard activating even over the alarms. The group relaxed, so I assumed we had arrived at our destination. Prim led me over to a small bed in the corner of the room. It was white and appeared sterilized, much like everything in the room. I situated myself under the crisp sheets, and beckoned for Peeta to join me. He smiled warmly and sat down next to me, wrapping me in his arms. I could have gone to sleep this way, and almost did, except for the loud guffawing of two men in the room.

Finnick and Haymitch were exchanging anecdotes, most likely ones only amusing to them, and the sounds of their laughter bounced off the walls, finding no place to exit. Peeta spoke. "This room was assigned to us victors and our families. Well, at least the six of us victors, in times of emergency." I nodded, understanding. The leaders of the district were sanctioning us off away from the other citizens, knowing the Capitol would look for us first, namely me. Finnick and Haymitch were joined by Johanna and Annie, but Peeta and I stayed put. "Do you think the Peacekeepers can get into this room?" I asked.

Peeta stroked my hair. "I doubt it, but you can never be too careful. You should stay here at all times, and we need to keep someone awake to keep watch at night." I nodded and buried my face in his chest. As I drifted off to an uneasy sleep, I wondered who would take the first watch.

I awoke some time later, drenched in sweat and clutching the sheets in search of Peeta. He wasn't there. _So my nightmare was real, _I thought. _He's gone forever. _As the tears welled up in my eyes, I felt strong arms envelope me. I resisted the urge to shrug them off, not realizing until a few moments later that these were the arms I had been missing. "Did you have a nightmare," Peeta asked, wiping my eyes.

"Y-Yes. I did. You…you were dead. The capitol…more like _Snow _threw you into a fire. You…burned alive." My voice broke on the last word. Peeta held me until I stopped sobbing. "I love you, Peeta." I said, kissing his cheek. He didn't respond at first. He merely looked at me. After a few moments he said, "That's the first time I've heard you say it. Really say it and mean it, that is."

"Well I do," I said. "I really really love you."

And at that I fell asleep once more on Peeta's warm chest, inhaling his cinnamon and sugar scent, content to stay there forever.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey, sorry I haven't updated in a while. When I got back from Arkansas I was super busy planning my Hunger Games movie premiere party. That movie = Finnicking amazing. Josh Hutcherson is the perfect Peeta, in my opinion. Just sayin'. But anyway, here's chapter 5!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hunger Games. I wish I did. But I don't, so if you think I do, then you're freaking retarded.**

**Chapter 5**

I woke up that morning in Peeta's arms. I knew he was awake; he was breathing too fast to be sleeping. I was far too comfortable too wake up, so I feigned sleep, closing my eyes again. Peeta chuckled. "I know you're awake, Katniss." I scowled up at him. "Way to ruin a moment," I pouted. He apologized and kissed my forehead.

"We really should wake up," he said reluctantly. "I already had Finnick take over my watch when you had your nightmare. I would feel bad depriving him of time with Annie." He got up and walked over to where Finnick was sitting in the middle of the room on a white chair. He tapped Finnick's shoulder, startling him awake. "I'm up! I'm up!' he shouted, bolting upright. I laughed, and Finnick realized he had fallen asleep.

"Remind me not to sleep while Finnick keeps watch." Peeta laughed.

"It's your fault for waking me up when it wasn't my turn, _Mellark._" Finnick glared. He stood up and went over to the cot where Annie lay sleeping peacefully. I saw him pause for a moment before lying down to brush a strand of her hair out of her face. He stared adoringly at her, and I recognized his expression from when I catch Peeta staring at me. I wondered if I make that face at him when he's not looking. Peeta took my hand and brought me over to the white chair. He offered the seat to me, but I made him sit. As I turned to sit on the floor, he wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me onto his lap. I scowled at him. He wasn't remorseful, taking advantage of his hold on me to pull me close and kiss me. "Hey, cut that out. There are children here." Finnick mumbled from across the room. My face flushed red and Peeta just grinned.

"There are no children here." I said huffily. "Prim isn't a kid anymore."

"Wasn't talking about her." Finnick said, his words slurring as he drifted off to sleep. I heard him begin to snore. "Wow," I said. "He's delirious."

Peeta's eyebrows rose in disbelief. "Katniss, you mean you haven't guessed yet?" My eyebrows knit together. He continued. "There's definitely a child present." His eyes shifted over to Annie and Finnick then back at me expectantly. My mouth formed an 'o' shape as it dawned on me. "Is Annie…?" Peeta nodded.

"Oh my god. Since when?" I asked.

"She's only about a month in; they just found out before the alarm sounded." So Annie and Finnick were having a baby. I smiled as I pictured the two of them as parents. I could see Annie as a mother, but the thought of the great Finnick Odair changing a diaper made me giggle. I saw Peeta laughing and assumed he'd had a similar thought. I wondered what it would be like to have a child. With Peeta. Maybe it would have his gorgeous blue eyes. The thought of a little baby I could call my own almost brought tears to my eyes. But then I remembered the horrors of the world we live in, and my peaceful images of laughing children turned to images of my little baby screaming and being taken away. My thoughts were interrupted by Peeta speaking up.

"What if…" he paused. "What if…we…had children someday?" I looked away, facing the plain wall to my right. "I…I don't think I could. I couldn't bring a child into this world. Not knowing what I know about people and life in general.'

"But what about Finnick and Annie? What about your mother and father? Do you think they regret bringing a child into this world?" I shook my head. "No, Peeta, but my mother had to see me go into the games. I couldn't live with that. I couldn't watch my child go trough something like that."

"But you don't have to. The games are over, Katniss. Forever. I won't push you, but you should know. It is something I want." I could tell he felt uncomfortable asking anything of me. That was just his nature. I attempted to cheer him up.

"And besides, I couldn't have children unless I was married…" I hinted, placing a finger on his nose. He smiled and looked down at my finger, crossing his eyes and making me laugh. "Well," he said. "We'll just have to do something about that, now won't we."

"Peeta Mellark, are you asking me to marry you?" I gasped.

"Nope," he said. I attempted to look hurt. He continued. "No, you'll know it when I propose to you, Miss Everdeen." I smiled slyly. "We'll see." He didn't respond. He pushed my head forward to rest on his shoulder. I wrapped my arms around his neck and buried my face in his shirt, closing my eyes as Peeta held me, one arm holding me legs behind my knees, and the other wrapped snugly around my waist. And that was how I fell asleep. And that was how I woke up, discovering I had drooled on Peeta's white cotton t-shirt. I stuck my tongue out in disgust and tried to wipe it off. Peeta commented on the fact that I was only rubbing it in more, and I scowled at him. Johanna commented on the fact that he shouldn't be grossed out because he deals with my spit on a regular basis, making us both blush. I was about to say something negative back to her when there was a loud banging noise.

Peeta and Finnick stood protectively around me and Annie respectively. Haymitch and Johanna pushed Prim into the corner of the room, and she squeaked in surprise. The noise got louder, and we realized its source. There was a large dent forming on the steel door that separated us from the rest of the world. The door screamed in protest as it gave way slowly. The door eventually gave in, crashing inward onto the ground. A wave of Peacekeepers flooded into our large room, firing their weapons at us. Peeta shielded me and herded us to the other side of the room near Haymitch, who was using the hunting knife with which he slept to take out the Peacekeepers. Thankfully there weren't very many, so once a few were stopped, there was enough opportunity to shuffle out of the room and into the corridors of district 13. We all made it out safely, but we were still being pursued by the Peacekeepers, so we had no choice but to run. We dodged bullets and jumped over the debris left over from the panic of the first alarms that forced us to run to the compartments in the first place. This went on for a few moments as I clutched Peeta's hand tightly, refusing to be separated from him.

Suddenly, there were people in front of us. Though our instinct was to avoid them as well, we soon realized that they weren't enemies. In fact, the large group of District 13 fighters was being led by a familiar face. Gale looked at me and pointed to an alcove to my right, ushering us into it. They continued on and the 7 of us huddled in the small alcove. We breathed deeply as we adjusted into the small space unusually comfortably. We then did a quick once-over to make sure we were alright and all accounted for. Everyone was alright, it seemed, until I noticed that Johanna had been hiding her upper arm by strategically placing her hair over it. I made her lift her hair up, and when she did, I gasped. A dark red stain could be seen through her shirt over her right shoulder. She had been shot. We all reached forward to help her, but she pushed us away, insisting she was alright.

Though we all silently agreed to take her to see the doctor as soon as we were able, we let it go for the moment. At this point we noticed the quiet in the corridor. Haymitch looked out and sighed in relief. He motioned for us to go out into the hall, and we saw that the Peacekeepers had been stopped. Thank god the soldiers in district 13 had gathered when they did, otherwise we would be dead by now. We began to celebrate our newfound safety, though we realized it was most likely short-lived. I kissed Peeta and wrapped my arms around his neck, but we were interrupted by a thud. I jumped and looked in the direction of the sound, only to see a very pale Johanna Mason lying unconscious on the cold tile floor.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys, sorry it's been a while. I really like to update every day, but it's tough cause I've got school and stuff. But I made time today. Otherwise SockMonkie would outright murder me. She told me she'd raise a career-style mob to force me to update. :-O But anyway, another thing I wanted to say was that I have been listening to a lot of the civil wars lately, and their music inspires me to write. So if there's one song you should listen to it's _I've Got This Friend. _Love it. It totally made me want to write some KatnissxPeeta stuff. Also, I love the song _Rules _from the Hunger Games soundtrack. It's totally supposed to be about how Peeta feels about Katniss, and all that jazz, lol. Anyway, enjoy this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Duh, I don't own Hunger Games. If I did, my friend Aubrey and I decided we would use that power to clone Peeta so we could both have him. But are there multiple Peeta's on this earth? No. So do I own Hunger Games? No.**

**Chapter 6**

Johanna wasn't moving. We called her name, shook her, and Finnick even tried to save her using the technique he used on Peeta during the Quell. Her eyes remained glassy. Haymitch picked her up and carried her towards the District 13 hospital. We all followed him there, but once we arrived, we were ordered to stay out and let the doctors work.

We waited for what seemed like hours, and probably was, until a slender nurse stepped out, her auburn hair plastered to her face with sweat. She sat down and spoke to Haymitch, seeing as he had carried her in, and Johanna had no family. She patted his shoulder and went back into the room she had come from after giving us all a pleasant nod of acknowledgement. We looked expectantly at Haymitch.

"She's alive." We all let out a breath of relief. He held up a finger to stop us. "She's alive, but barely. She's not…there's a very big chance…that she won't make it. The bullet sliced through an artery, and the doctors cant stop the bleeding. She's lost way too much blood." I swayed back and forth, and Peeta grabbed my shoulders to steady me.

"Does Johanna have any family?" We all turned to look at Prim, her timid voice breaking the silence. Haymitch shook his head. "She did, at one time. But the Capitol took them from her a long time ago." So this is how Johanna Mason would die. Without a family, without a real home, and without seeing the rebellion succeed. I silently vowed to ensure that the latter would happen very soon. If the rebel soldiers couldn't take out the remaining bits of Snow's reign, I would do it myself. Another nurse came out and nodded to Haymitch. He looked at us and said, "The doctors said she can have visitors, but we can't excite her. No yelling or crying or shaking the bed." We all nodded simultaneously.

Our group shuffled through the door into Johanna's room. Her face was pale, and her dark hair sprawled out on her pillow in wild curls and twists. I took Peeta's hand and approached the bed, but I allowed Finnick, Annie, and Haymitch to go ahead of me; they had known her for far longer than I had. In fact, I had heard that Johanna was Finnick's closest friend. His eyes were glassy as he took the feeble girl's hand.

"Don't you cry. If you cry, Odair, so help me God I'll kill you right now." Her voice cracked, betraying her angry tone of voice.

"I won't cry. Finnick Odair doesn't cry." He looked in her eyes, and they were glazed-over, unfocused, though you could tell she was holding on with everything she had. She lifted her hand to his face. "I lied, you know," she said to him. "In the Quell. I said there was no one left I love. But that's a lie. I've always loved you, Finnick." A slight blush appeared on her pallid cheeks, and I nearly broke down then. This strong woman before me has finally said something real and honest. She must really be slipping away. And as I thought this, her eyes turned from Finnick's forlorn and slightly shocked face to mine, then Peeta's, and on down the line of visitors. She smiled at each of us, another thing I hadn't known her to do. At this, she pulled Finnick's face forward and whispered something in his ear. She smiled, and looked up at the ceiling. Her eyes didn't move again, and even without the beeping of the machines she was attached to, we would have known she was gone.

Annie broke down, gasping and sputtering, and occasionally screaming. Finnick held her to his chest and put his head in her hair, silent tears streaming down his face. Peeta wasn't crying, but he took my face in his hands and silently asked a question: _Are you okay?_ I nodded, and stroked the back of his hand with my thumb. He pulled my head against his chest, and I cried into his shirt. Of all the thoughts in my head at that moment, one stuck out: The Capitol did this to her. They killed Johanna. They took everything she is or was, and now they've taken her very life. And then I remembered something. She told Finnick something before she died.

I lifted my head and turned to him. "Finnick?" I called to him. He looked up from annie's hair. "What…what did she tell you…if you don't mind me asking." He looked away and toward the wall. Then he looked back at me. "She said, 'take care of them. And give them hell."

** Hey, short chapter I know. I just wanted to update, and I don't have a lot of time. Starting next week, I'm going to post a chapter every Thursday, so I can keep it on a regular schedule. Sorry it's been so long. Please review! I love them. They keep me motivated to write. **


	7. Chapter 7

**I lied. I said I'd update yesterday, but I seriously couldn't think of anything to write. I usually just wing it with my chapters. I have a basic structure of where I'm going with the story, so it's not completely aimless, but the in-between stuff is always hard. This is just a fluff chapter. Sorry. Well…no I'm not. I love fluff. I also love the Civil Wars. Best band ever. I'm listening to their song _Forget Me Not, _and it's so sweet. This album totally makes me want to write; that and the fact that it's raining today make this a perfect chapter writing day. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 7**

Johanna's funeral was small, and, overall, it was bleak. Little was said, as we were her closest friends, if you could call Johanna and me "friends." Annie sobbed uncontrollably, and Finnick's eulogy was interrupted by her sobs, cutting it short. This wasn't a big deal, as all of us were eager to be away from the sad white-walled chapel in District 13. But then, every wall here was white, so I suppose we could never really escape that.

With the Peacekeeper invasion under control, everyone was relocating to their rooms. I was being moved to a room on the top floor of the underground district, where all the victors were placed. Again, they were grouping us together, away from the innocent people of 13. Peeta's room was next to mine, I discovered, which was a relief. Mother and Prim, however, were on a whole different floor. They were in a sector closer to the hospital, as the invasion had provided them with a healthy amount of patients. Since they were living there, I had to take care of the cat. Buttercup was only allowed to live in 13 if he had access to a window and didn't disturb the other residents. Seeing as my room had the window, Buttercup took up residence with me. Prim fed him and brushed him and such, but I still had to look at him most of the time.

The day following the funeral was uneventful. I sat in my room all day, doing nothing, waiting for Peeta to come and see me. He was working in the kitchen three times a week now. When he would come back, he would bring me an artfully decorated cookie or a cupcake. Sometimes he'd bring me heart-shaped cookies with **P.M + K.E. **written neatly on the top in elegant script. He called them "love cookies," and as cheesy as that was, it was wonderful to see his brilliant smile as he grinned at his own joke.

At night, the nightmares weren't as bad, at least, not with Peeta there to hold me. But they still slipped through. I would dream of the Games, Rue's death, Mags running into the fog, and the deaths of all those other innocent children's whose names I hadn't dared to learn. The worst dreams, though, were of what I had dreamt in my coma. These were the worst because even after I woke up, they didn't go away. I had to take several moments to sort out what was reality. I had to ask Peeta questions about what was real and what wasn't. It became a sort of game, though it wasn't fun to relive Johanna's death or talk about Prim dying in my mind. Peeta was patient with me, though, calmly answering my questions and proving to me that he hadn't actually been hijacked.

"Finnick is dead. Real or not real?"

"Not real."

"Finnick and Annie got married."

"Real." He smiled, remembering their wedding. He brushed the hair from my forehead that had been plastered there with sweat. I smiled softly and continued.

"You love me."

"Absolutely real." He leaned down and kissed me softly. I felt a stirring in the pit of my stomach, similar to what I felt in the cave, but I was too sleepy to act on it. Instead, when we separated, I placed a hand on his cheek, and told him I loved him before snuggling into his arms, resting my head on his chest. I didn't fall asleep, though. I merely lay there for the rest of the night in his embrace. I don't think he slept either, but neither of us wanted to interrupt this moment. I felt so safe in his arms. When the sun came up, he stirred and began to stand up. I clutched at the cotton of his shirt. He laughed at my disgruntled expression. "I'm not leaving you. I'm just going to change. And…get a few things." Before I could question him, he was out the door.

When he returned, he had changed clothes and brushed his golden hair. I frowned. Oddly enough, I liked when his hair was disheveled. At this point I noticed what he had in his hands. A picnic basket and a blanket. He laid out the blanket on the floor, and set the basket on top of it. Reaching for my hand, he led me over to the blanket and we sat there together. Inside the basket, I found cheese buns, warm stew, and a special tin of "love cookies."

"Thank you." I said, running a hand through his hair. "Thank you for this."

"Any time, Miss Everdeen." He smirked. The rest of the day was spent on that blanket. Talking, laughing, and sitting in silence, my head on his lap and his hands in my hair. I don't remember when, but at some point I drifted to sleep that way. I woke up after dark in my bed. In the dimly lit room, I saw Peeta moving towards the door. I assumed he thought I'd want a night by myself, or that I'd be alright without him since I was already asleep, but I was not allowing that. "Stay with me," I mumbled with as much force as my sleepy mind could muster up. He chuckled, turning around.

He climbed into the bed next to me, and the last thing I heard was him saying my favorite word. "Always."


	8. Chapter 8

**Ugh, I'm such a hypocrite. I always get so aggravated when my favorite stories take forever to update, yet here I am posting like three weeks later than I said I would. Anyway, I've got this planned out now. This chapter's got kind of a cliffy. Lol *devilish grin* The fluff is over…well not really, because you can always count on there being like a ton of fluff (I love it). I just mean that peaceful times are over. Stuff's about to go down. Okay I'm done teasing you. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: **

**Me: Hey, Suzanne? Do I own the Hunger Games?**

**Suzanne Collins: No, and get out of my house, you freak!**

**Me: See? No lawsuits necessary.**

**Chapter 8**

I was given a devise to wear on my wrist called a communicuff. It beeps at the most inopportune times, interrupting my time with Peeta, Prim, and the rest of my friends. When it goes off, I am to report to Command immediately. Command is a large meeting room filled with monitors and buttons, all surrounding a large conference table in the center of the room. I was stepping out of the shower this time when my communicuff went off from its place on the bathroom counter. I groaned and picked it up, stopping the shrill beeping.

I dressed in my District 13 clothing which was, rather unsurprisingly, white all over, from the shirt to the shoes that accompanied the outfit. Then I rebraided my wet hair and flipped it over my shoulder. Strapping the communicuff to my wrist, I left my compartment and made my way down to command.

"'Bout time you got here, Girl on Fire," Finnick said wryly as I entered the room. I stuck out my tongue at him in response and took my seat next to Peeta and Haymitch. "Soldier Odair is right. You were summoned here over ten minutes ago." I turned toward the person who had addressed me. Alma Coin, president of District 13. Her features were set in a permanent frown, and I was rather certain that her spine had been replaced with a metal rod, causing her to be at a constant straight-up position. I mumbled a half-hearted apology. If it were up to me, I would spend my days in my room rather than hearing the depressing news of the rebellion.

"I'm afraid I have distressing news," she began again. I rolled my eyes. "So," I retorted. "Nothing new, then?" I heard Finnick and Peeta chuckle. Coin glared at me.

"Actually, Soldier Everdeen, it _is_ new. We have received a tip as to where President Snow has relocated. We believe he has retreated to a small island that remained above sea level after the southwest districts of Panem were submerged." Everyone at the table took this in. Snow was still alive (which we basically already knew) and he was still near Panem. We had suspected that he would retreat to somewhere across the globe, but now it would seem he stayed relatively close. Perhaps that was his plan. To make us search across the Earth only to find, too late, that he barely even left the country.

Peeta squeezed my hand, which was laced with his under the table, and gave me a reassuring smile. I smiled back, but I wasn't reassured. "So what do we do now?" Haymitch interjected, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"We don't do anything," Coin said firmly. A collective gasp could be heard throughout the room. "What do you mean we do nothing?" I screamed at her and rose from my chair. She glowered at me and snarled, "Quiet! I wasn't finished. Now sit down." I complied reluctantly, blowing a strand of hair from my face.

"Now as I was saying, we are taking no further action regarding Snow at this point _because_ for one thing, we can't confirm his actual whereabouts, and for another thing, we have a bigger issue to deal with."

"What issue might that be?" Finnick prompted.

"The Capitol. In Snow's absence, it was taken over by a group of his advisors. They've been trying to take control of the chaos in the districts. Seeing as we've taken over almost every district, they recognize the fact that their hold is slipping. In a last ditch effort to take power back, they've decided to hold the 76th annual Hunger Games."

Silence swallowed her words as quickly as they had been spoken. The 76th annual Hunger Games. The Capitol was bringing back the Games. But how? They couldn't hold reapings without resistance from the rebels, could they?

"Instead of reaping children from each district, they plan to throw captured rebel soldiers into the arena. Without sponsors. Without putting water or food or medicine in the cornucopia. They will be provided weapons and their wits, and nothing else." As Coin continued, the nausea in the pit of my stomach intensified. I leapt from my chair and retched in the nearest trashcan. My skin felt like it was on fire. I felt an icy hand against my face, pulling my hair back. I didn't have to look to know that it was Peeta. I wiped my mouth and crumpled to the ground, defeated. My head lolled to the side, and I saw Peeta's blue eyes clouded with worry. I nodded, signaling that I was going to be alright. He lifted me up and led me to my chair, easing me into a sitting position and ordering me some water for me from a nearby guard.

I noticed that Annie was trembling, tears flowing from her green eyes. "I don't want to go back. Don't let them take me. They can't make me go back. Finnick take me home. Will they take our baby? Don't let them take me back," she rambled on and on as Finnick told her she would never have to go back, and their child would be safe. Haymitch just sat in his chair, a glassy look in his eyes as he accepted the news.

"They can't take people from District 13, can they?" I asked Coin.

"Well," she began. "They got Peacekeepers here. Who knows what they'll attempt this time?" So it was possible that they could force me back in. Or worse, they could send Peeta. I clutched at the fabric of his shirt, holding him to me as if it would keep him anchored to District 13. Though I knew if they got through the walls, there was no way I could stop them from taking him or any of the other people I loved. Hot tears stained my cheeks and dripped down, splashing against the glass surface of the table.

"What can we do?" Gale asked. Gale. I had forgotten he was here. What if they took him? They couldn't. I shook my head. I would never let that happen. I didn't hear Coin's response. My head was filled with what ifs and worst case scenarios. The noises around me melded together into a scrambled hum. It felt like there were a thousand people screaming in my ears at once. Somewhere in the jumble of sounds was Annie, repeating that one phrase. "Don't let them take me back." I felt the same as she did now. I understood how she had ended up the way she did. Whereas I had fought through my pain and trauma from the games, Annie had let it consume her. It eroded her sanity away slowly, and I felt at this moment like insanity was the only escape form my agonizing reality. I was making up my mind to let go and give in to insanity when I was pulled back to the real world by Peeta.

"Katniss. Katniss talk to me. You're scaring me." He frantically searched my face for a glimmer of life.

"Peeta…Peeta I can't handle this. I can't do it. Peeta I'm afraid." I had never admitted to being afraid of anything, but the possibility of Peeta or Prim or Gale being thrown into the arena downright terrified me.

"Oh, sweetheart. I won't let them take you."

"It's not me I'm worried about. Peeta what if they take you? I couldn't live without you. I don't know what I would do. I can't be without you." I pulled him closer to me, soaking his shirt in tears. He wrapped his arms around me securely, clinging to me as desperately as I was clinging to him. He didn't have to say anything for me to know he felt the same way. I ignored the fact that we were surrounded by people and just held him.

Though the sound was muffled due to the fact that I was completely covered by Peeta's arms and chest, I heard Coin speak. "We are doing everything we can to prevent an invasion of District 13 and the capture of soldiers. However, we don't doubt the fact that there will be an attack. The Capitol will come for us. For _you. _The Victors. It doesn't matter that you were already thrust into the games twice. They will take you and make an example out of you. Execute you." He words cut through me like a knife. If they took one of us, there would be no chance that we would break out. We would be stuck there until twenty-three rebels were dead. And I had a terrible feeling in the pit of my stomach that one or more of those rebels were sitting at this table.

Coin continued to speak about the precautions we were to take now that we knew there was a possibility we would be forced to return to the Capitol, but she was interrupted by a loud alarm. Peeta's grip on me tightened. A soldier burst into the room and addressed President Coin.

"President Coin, the Peacekeepers are back. There are so many. Ma'am, we need to relocate you. Now." The President rose from her seat and followed the man out the door. The rest of us sat in shocked silence, not knowing what we were supposed to do. Another soldier came in. "The rest of you. To your designated crisis bunkers. Hurry up." Peeta released me, but as I rose to start running, he lifted me up and carried me. He didn't let me protest about his leg being too weak to support my extra weight. We ran out the door and began to head toward our bunker, but we were stopped suddenly by a descending wall of flames.


	9. Chapter 9

**Woo hoo for you! Two updates this week! I think… This week has been super crazy for me. Not that I did anything particularly interesting or anything, just that yesterday I like legit thought it was Wednesday until lunch time, and even then I had to consciously think and tell myself it wasn't Wednesday. Weird, I know. But anyway, sorry about the cliffy. I kinda love them. They're just so dramatic. Keep reviewing! They're what keep me writing. You guys are awesome. I haven't gotten any bad reviews. Except for hollowgirl5. But that's okay cause I know her and she is allowed to talk to me like that. Anyhoo, here's chapter 9!**

**Disclaimer: Me: Josh, these people want to know if I own the Hunger Games.**

**Josh: Um, no. You don't. Duh.**

**Me: See? Now leave us alone. We're trying to have a romantic dinner. *creeper smile***

**Chapter 9**

The flames crashed to the ground in front of us. We didn't take the time to see what it was burning. Peeta turned and ran the other direction immediately. We were stopped short again, though, and saw that the opposite corridor was also on fire. The only foreseeable exit was a small hallway to our left that was cramped with people facing the same conditions we were.

We squeezed through as fast as we could, but we were slow moving. There were too many people. Peeta's brow furrowed in his frustration. I held on to his t-shirt and buried my head in his neck, trying to find some comfort in his cinnamon and bread scent that I loved so much; however, my nostrils couldn't very well take it in, due to the smoke flowing into them. I coughed and hacked in an attempt to expel the smoke from my lungs, but it wasn't doing much good. We were stopped in the hallway as something or someone ahead was blocking the way, so Peeta took the opportunity to put me down and rest. I noticed he was having trouble breathing. This didn't surprise me, seeing as after the first games, the doctors in the capitol discovered that Peeta had something called asthma, which impaired his breathing ability. They occasionally gave him treatments for it while we were there. He sensed my worry and told me he was fine. I didn't buy it.

"Katniss, I'm fine. Don't worry about me. Don't you hear yourself coughing? I'm no worse off than you." But he stopped talking abruptly and began to cough and wheeze violently. I slipped off the thick sweater I was wearing and gave it to him. "Use this to cover your mouth from the smoke." I instructed him. He nodded, still coughing. I patted his back to try and ease his cough. "Take deep breaths." He did, but I could tell he was struggling. People started to move again. He moved to pick me up again.

"Oh no you don't," I shook my finger at him. "There is no way I'm letting you carry me, Mr. Asthmatic." He frowned but didn't argue. I briefly looked over my shoulder and instantly regretted it. The pathway from which we had just come was engulfed in flame. Someone was in there. Normally I would've jumped in and tried to save them, but I had to stay with Peeta. Peeta was my priority. Because that's what we do, Peeta and I. We protect each other. But in the back of my mind, I knew the screams of that poor lost soul would haunt my nightmares for the rest of my life.

We kept moving, squeezing farther up in the cluster of people whenever possible. The flames advanced, and we pressed closer and closer together. Peeta's breathing had calmed a little, but I was still worried about him. Soon enough, we were through the corridor and arrived at an open expanse. District 13 officials herded us this way and that, somehow knowing where to place each individual person. A guard approached us and asked our names, as well as our quadrant and room number. After we supplied him with the needed information, he led us to a small section of the room and ordered us to remain there until further notice. We were happy to comply, seeing as running off and fending off the flames ourselves wasn't exactly a pleasant option.

I lost track of time after that. We could have been there for a whole day and I wouldn't have known. I just sank to the ground with Peeta and held onto him. It must have been about an hour later when I remembered Prim. But before I could hyperventilate and assume the worst had happened, I saw her. She came over and embraced me, making sure I was alright. She told me that our mother was tending to the wounded in another room, and she was doing the same here. She left us alone again when a small red-headed little girl began to wail over her burned leg. Time faded away again as we sat in silence.

I fell asleep at some point on Peeta's lap, and woke up to the vibrations of his chest as he spoke. A guard had come over to our corner of the room to give us instructions. He told us we were to follow him to our evacuation terminal.

"What's that?" I queried.

"The fire has consumed the majority of the rooms, as well as a majority of the district itself. It is uninhabitable. We must move you civilians to the surface." His expression was serious and unmoved.

"The surface?" I was shocked. If we went to the surface, the Capitol could pick us off like ants. All they had to do was drop one bomb and we were gone, no longer an issue for them to deal with.

"Yes ma'am," he continued. "It is the only viable option as of now." I nodded grimly. We followed him to the terminal. Families around me wept for those the fire had claimed. I silently offered my condolences to them and promising them to make the Capitol pay for the lives they took today. I heard a faint sucking sound, and inclined my ear towards it, discovering that it was a tube much like the one I had stepped into so long ago to enter the Games. Despite my apprehensions about entering it, when our turn came, Peeta and I got inside and were sent endlessly upwards.

We broke the surface, and I immediately squinted my eyes from the sudden brightness of the outside world. That's when I realized it had been over three months since I had seen the outside world at all. I took in my surroundings. It was ironically peaceful. The birds chirped, hidden in the lush green forest of trees. A meadow spread out for almost half a mile before it turned into dense forest. There were almost no signs of the nuclear fallout that had destroyed the District in the first place, forcing the citizens underground. A few slabs of stone remained on the ground, formerly the foundations of houses, I assumed. In-between the cracks in the stone grew hopeful sprouts of grass and the occasional wildflower. Peeta leaned down and picked up a yellow dandelion, tucking in gently behind my ear and placing his hand on my cheek. His hand then slipped down to grasp my own, and we walked to the crowd that was gathering around a cluster of guards in the center of the meadow.

We listened to the guards as they took a head count of all the citizens who had made it to the surface. It reminded me of when my schoolteachers used to call roll before class each morning. We were the first group from District 13 to arrive on the surface. The guards told us we were to set up camp in the forest. My spirits lifted a little at this, thinking of the prospect of getting to hunt again. It had been so long since I had been hunting, and my very being ached to go into the woods again, all alone with my thoughts.

The trip into the woods was almost like a death march for some, like Peeta, though I was excited to be staying there. I giggled at Peeta several times; he would jump and curl protectively around me every time he heard the slightest noise from within the trees. "Would you calm down?" I said between fits of giggles. "Nothing is going to hurt us. There are several dozen people in our group. Anything dangerous would be too afraid to come out to attack us."

He nodded, though he didn't seem convinced. I smirked and continued forward. Soon we reached a clearing in the woods, and the guards ordered us to stop and make camp with what we were given. They passed out a small kit to each of us. Inside was a blanket, a pillow, a canteen of water, a flashlight, batteries, and a length of rope. I grabbed Peeta by the wrist and led him over to a tree with overhanging branches and large roots that protruded from the ground. We combined our supply packs to create a cozy camp for the two of us. He spread out one blanket in the hollow at the base of two large roots that jutted out in a Y shape and put both the pillows side by side up against the tree's base. We sat down and put the other blanket over us. When it got dark, I climbed up the tree and tied one of our flashlights to the branch directly above us, creating a makeshift lamp above our heads. I liked the way Peeta and I worked so well together, so efficiently. Our tree was almost like a home. I smiled at the thought of owning a home with Peeta someday.

Eventually, I got tired. I tried to be sneaky and hide my sleepiness, but a renegade yawn escaped and gave me away. Peeta chuckled at my disgruntled expression after I yawned. He kissed the top of my head and got up to turn out the flashlight. I pulled him down next to me, snuggling into his embrace. But I wasn't ready to go to sleep yet. I climbed up his shirt with my hands and reached his face, kissing his smiling face. I pulled away and looked him right in the eyes. "I hope you know I love you." I narrowed my eyes at him in a mockingly serious tone. He grinned. "Yes, I know."

I scowled. "Well?" I prompted him.

He looked around innocently, as if he didn't know what I was talking about. He gave up his act when I began to pull away from his embrace. "Okay, okay! I love you too. More than you can imagine."

I smiled and sank back down to the ground, manually wrapping his arm around me myself. He tucked the blanket up over my arm, and we drifted off to sleep. I had no nightmares that night.


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey guys! Update time! I'm so excited to get this show on the road. I decided to bring back the Hunger Games because I really wanted to write about the games from the opposite side, where the main character isn't in them (winky winky). Oh but don't get your hopes up. Somebody important will be in them. Just sayin. Anyway, here's chapter…10? Yes, 10. No? Yes? I'm not sure… Yeah it's 10. *clears throat* Here's Chapter 10.**

**Disclaimer: Me: Really now. Aren't we past this by now? Why can't you just realize that I _don't own the Hunger Games?_**

**Josh: Are they bothering you again, darling?**

**Me: *nods***

**Josh: You stay away from my woman. She doesn't freaking own the Hunger Games.**

**Chapter 10**

Life in the woods was incredible. Yet it was also terrible. Sometimes I could lose myself in them, smelling the pine trees and thinking of hunting in the peaceful quiet mornings before I volunteered. But then I would open my eyes, and I'd see the horrors around me. Families huddled together next to trees and mourned their lost loved ones. Children cried as the remaining Thirteen doctors treated their serious burns. I felt sorry for little Prim. She hated seeing people in pain, especially children. Yet somehow, she didn't seem disturbed by the pain swallowing her up and using all her medical supplies. She was in fact much stronger and mature than she had ever been.

I had sacrificed one of Peeta's and my supply packs, giving it to a family near us who needed it more. It made me sick to see so many people shivering in the night, and I wished I had more to give them. Being useless was one of my greatest fears, and here, I had never felt so useless.

Three days after we arrived, all of the evacuation groups had arrived, and the Thirteen officials began to create some sense of structure to the mish-mash of the masses. They assigned us sectors of the forest according to our last names. Fortunately I didn't have to relocate to a different sector, as our large tree fell in the "E" section, but when they tried to relocate Peeta to the M's all the way across the forest, I threw a fit until they agreed to let him stay with me. He insisted that he could've told them that in a much more pleasant manner, but the redness of my face and my intense glare in his direction shut him up.

A day after that, we found Annie. She was with the doctors; they were closely monitoring her baby, making sure it wasn't affected by the trauma of the fire. We sat with her for a moment, but she was asleep. Finally, the doctors told us to go back to our camp, and we reluctantly complied. Peeta and I walked hand in hand back to our tree. But then it struck me.

"Peeta…" I stopped dead in my tracks, letting go of his hand.

"What is it?" He stopped and turned to face me.

"Peeta, why…why wasn't Finnick with her?" I waited for him to respond, but he merely swallowed heavily. My hands shook, and he noticed, enveloping them with his own, steadying me.

"I'm sure he's fine. We weren't there for very long before the doctors made us leave. Maybe he needed rest, and he felt like while Annie slept would be the best time."

"But why would he leave her to sleep, Peeta. That's not like Finnick. He'd never leave her. Not ever. Would you leave me in that condition?"

He paused, considering, most likely thinking of a way to calm me down while also masking his own fears. He sighed, defeated. "No. No I'd never leave you like that. And neither would he." He put an arm around me and turned us around, walking once more in the direction of the "O" section to see Mrs. Annie Odair.

Then the screaming began. I turned to Peeta, my eyes wide. His expression matched mine, confirming my fears. Annie must've woken up. I broke into a sprint, with Peeta lightly jogging behind me because of his leg. I reached her first.

"Katniss! Katniss it's you! Where is he? Where is he?" She screamed desperately. I approached her and held her hand. "Katniss where is he? They took him! I know they took him! They can't have him, he's mine! He's mine!" I stroked her hand, not knowing what to say. Tears fell from my own eyes. Useless. That's all I am here in this forest. I am useless. I feel a hand on my shoulder, and hear Peeta's voice, like velvet, break through all the screaming.

"Annie," he said gently. "Hey, look at me." She opened her eyes, which had been tightly squeezed shut, and looked at him, her pupils shrunk down to pinpoints in her green irises. "Annie, Finnick will come back to you. I promise. I swear to you he'll come back." She continued to whimper. "Annie, do you trust Finnick?" she nodded. He smiled and continued. "Then trust him to come back to you. If you don't trust him to come back, he may think you don't want him to."

She opened her mouth to protest, but only a strangled sob came out. "I know it's not true, but you don't want him to think that. Can you be strong for him?" She nodded, and he leaned in to embrace her. She sobbed heavily into his shirt.

I got up and walked over to the doctor who stood to the side, watching the spectacle unfold. "Where is he? Did they tell you? They must've. He's her husband. He's her only family." The doctor sighed. "Yes, they told me what they think happened," he began. "He brought her up here safely, but he went back inside. They didn't say who or what he went back for. Just that he went back. He's not dead, I can say that much."

"Then where is he?" I asked him, already knowing the answer, my eyes welling up with tears.

"He was captured. He's to be put into the Hunger Games. He's been sentenced to die."

"Oh, God…" My voice broke. I felt hot tears stream down my face. They had taken him. He went back inside and they took Finnick. If Annie was distressed when she thought they might take _her_, I can't imagine how she'll take this news.

I stumble over to Peeta where he sits next to a now sleeping Annie. He sees my red splotched face and knows instantly what I'm about to tell him.

"They took him," he says before I get the chance. I nod. He holds out his arms to me and I fall into them, not caring who hears me gasp and sputter as I cry for Finnick. There's no way they'll let him live. They want to destroy me, and to do that they have to destroy those I love. I'm not sure how long I cry before Prim finds me.

"Katniss…" She said weakly, her voice shaking. "Katniss I'm so so sorry."

"It's okay, Prim. It's not your fault." When I said this, she burst into tears, holding her face in her hands.

"It is," she squeaks. "It is my fault." I don't ask her why. I know she'll explain to me. "I…I saw Finnick with Annie heading into the woods. He saw me and gave me a hug, making sure I was okay. I told him I was fine, but…but that I had left Buttercup inside without thinking." She sobs openly now as she speaks, not trying to conceal her tears. "He squeezed my hand and told me he'd be alright. I thought he meant that Buttercup would find me, but then…then he ran back inside. I yelled for him to stop, but he kept going. The next thing I knew…Buttercup came out. But Finnick…Finnick didn't."

I sat there in Peeta's arms, shocked. I wasn't angry at her. I wasn't angry at Finnick. I was sad. For one of the first times in my life, I didn't direct my sadness into anger. I let myself grieve. I grieved all night in Peeta's arms. Prim joined us and we grieved together. I wish it had been my fault. Guilt would be better to handle than grief.

Guilt is heavier than grief, but grief takes more away from you and leaves you bare. Helpless. Hopeless.

Useless.


	11. Chapter 11

**I am hanging my head in shame. It's been sooo long since I updated. I've been super busy with the end of school, and finals, and then my dad just had hip surgery, so I've been crazy swamped. But I haven't forgotten you! I counted recently, and there are a lot of you, which makes me feel awesome about myself. I'm not exactly what you'd call confident. So thanks for you guys who follow and favorite and review, most of all, because reviews mean the world to me. They really do. Keep writing them and following and whatnot. Love you guys! Also, sorry about kidnapping Finnick. Well, I'm not sorry. At all. Something had to happen! And hollowgirl53 happens to love whump. So it's mainly for her. Anywho, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Seneca's beard: Wait, wait! What are you doing with that razor? No! Oh, God, no! Don't shave me!**

***door opens and fanfiction people come in***

**Me: This doesn't concern you!**

**FF People: But we need to know if you own the Hunger Games!**

**Me: For the thousandth time, NO!**

***door slams* **

**Seneca's beard: AAAAAAAAAH! Oh, the humanity!**

**Chapter 11**

We all sat crowded around a small television screen watching the capitol's news update program. Our assigned guards brought it in a few hours earlier for us to stay updated on the upcoming war prisoner Hunger Games. Though it was hard to get a very good view when a hundred other refugees are trying to see just like you. Luckily the guards allowed Annie to go up front, seeing as Finnick was in them. And since Annie was in such bad condition, I came with her, and with me came Peeta and Prim. I held Annie's hand tightly as Caesar Flickerman appeared on the screen.

"Hello, Panem! And welcome to this year's Hunger Games!" His booming voice echoed despite the small speakers built in to the tiny television. This year his hair was a soft lavender, his lips matching the pale color. He continued announcing the new rules and regulations of this year's games. No sponsors, no outside help, no feast. The tributes would only be provided with weapons. Annie's small form trembled. I squeezed her hand even tighter. They began showing the tributes' faces. Instead of showing their district's number, they sorted them by degree of treason, from greatest to least. And Finnick's face popped up first. His face was clean shaven, and his hair was neatly styled. However, his normally bright, shining green eyes were glossy and sad, lacking their usual intensity. This was obviously taken after his capture.

Annie sobbed quietly, whimpering and calling Finnick's name. "He'll be fine, Annie," I reassured her. "Even if we can't get him out, he's strong. He won before. He'll win again. I know he will."

She nodded, but she continued to cry. I couldn't blame her. I didn't even believe my own words. I couldn't guarantee that he'd survive. There was no way to know. And knowing the cruelty of the Capitol, they may intentionally murder him in the arena, if not before.

Peeta slid an arm around my waist. I smiled up at him. Even though I was distraught over Finnick's capture, I couldn't help but inwardly celebrate that Peeta was still with me. And I hated myself for thinking that way, celebrating when I should be mourning, but it was true. If he had been taken, I wouldn't be alive. Mentally, at least. I couldn't continue without him here, his arm around my waist, where I can feel his eyes on me, almost warming me. I leaned up and softly kissed him.

"Thank you," I said. "Thank you for…just thank you."

He smirked. "You're welcome. I don't know what I did, but I'll try to keep doing it if that's my reward."

I laughed, and then choked it back, remembering that now was not a time for laughter. They were showing the faces of the other captive tributes. Eight were rebellion leaders of small concentrated groups along district borders. They smuggled goods to each other across the borders and gradually, the goods reached Thirteen to assist the war effort. Six more were refugees headed to Thirteen. They were the farthest down on the list. There was a married couple paired together, imprisoned just outside the Capitol as they escaped with stolen money and food for refugees they were hiding in their home. A woman with flaming red hair had been taken captive in an air raid on district 7. She reminded me of Johanna. Not just because she was from her district, but because she possessed that same ever-present scowl and wild eyes. It would be hard to watch her die.

One face that made me hide in Peeta's embrace was a boy about 18. His name was Paxton. He looked so frightened. Caesar said he had attempted to kill a Peacekeeper, but the terrified expression on the boy's face let me know that that was a lie. Then there was the family. The mother and father were paired together, both in their late forties, and both accused of killing Capitol officials. Their children, a girl and her obviously younger brother, were ranked just below them, accused of being accomplices to their parents' crimes.

Most notable of the tributes I didn't know was the woman paired with Finnick. She had blue-black hair that fell past her shoulders, and a scar ran along the side of her face. It cut through her porcelain complexion and girlish features, and held one eye shut. Her other eye was startlingly blue, like ice. Whereas Peeta's eyes were soft and welcoming, this woman's eyes sent chills down my spine. They were almost like the eyes of a beast. Her full pink lips folded downward into a scowl. I was surprised to learn that she was only 16. Her name was Ari. She had been captured for blowing up President Snow's mansion.

I wondered why we hadn't heard of the explosion before, but then I remembered that there was a lot Coin didn't tell us. With the tributes announced, Caesar segued into the upcoming tribute parade. He announced that it would take place tomorrow at 7 o'clock. This was surprising, seeing as they usually hold the parade as soon as the tributes have dried their tears and been prepped. I wondered why they were postponing it as a guard shut the T.V. off. No one moved at first. Then, slowly people began to rise and shuffle grimly back to their makeshift forest homes.

Annie didn't move, even after everyone else had gone. She just stared at an apparently interesting blade of grass. Finally she got up, not waiting for me and heading back to her blanket in the "O" section. After a while, she drifted off to sleep as I sat with her. I rose and walked with Peeta to our tree. We didn't speak much. Just an occasional "I love you" as we prepared for bed with grim thoughts crowding our minds. I lay down next to him, cling and clutching to his shirt so he couldn't be anywhere but in my arms. I felt my grip involuntarily loosen as I drifted off, and I fell asleep to a soft kiss on the top of my head.

I awoke with a start to the piercing screams. I fought against the sleep coating my eyes to see the source, though I already knew. I ran to Annie's bed and shook her. She didn't wake. She screamed even harder. But I didn't give up shaking until she finally showed some response, her eyes opening slightly.

"It's alright. It's alright," I cooed, stroking her hair softly. "You're okay. I'm here with you. You're alright." She shook violently, despite my arms around her to warm her up. I pulled the blanket she had kicked away up around her shoulders and lay down beside her. She put her head on my chest, sobbing. Slowly she fell into a fitful sleep.

Peeta approached us, and I held up a finger to my lips so he would stay quiet. He nodded in understanding, noting Annie's sleeping form. "Hey," he whispered softly. "I think you should stay here with her, okay? She needs you more than I do."

"But I don't want you to be alone." I protested. "At least go get Prim."

"Prim?"

"Yes. She'll sit with you tonight. She likes you. You're like her big brother." I laughed humorlessly as I continued. "You're a better brother to her than Gale could ever be." I changed to subject, smirking at his disheveled appearance. "By the way, you look rather fetching with bed head. And I'm loving the flannel PJ's."

He struck a pose, attempting to look like a male model. Pain shot through my heart suddenly as I was reminded of Finnick; I didn't let it show. He kissed my forehead and disappeared into the woods to go get Prim.

Annie sighed in her sleep, and I held her closer, almost like I could squeeze the nightmares out of her. I knew I couldn't, but hopefully they wouldn't come until another night.

I woke up the next morning, and Annie was still asleep. Afraid I would spook her if she woke up to my face in front of her, I got up and walked to my tree. _Our _tree, I corrected myself. It was mine _and_ Peeta's. When I got there, I saw Prim cuddled up against Peeta. For the first time in my life, I wished I had a camera. We had never had any use for one back in Twelve. Life was so grim, who would _want _to capture it on film? But this image right here was adorable. My two favorite people, my family, sleeping peacefully together. I was about to wake them when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I assumed it was a guard telling me I shouldn't be up this early when others were trying to sleep. I was wrong.

I turned to face Gale. My jaw was taut as I prepared to turn and walk away from him. "Catnip, wait," he pleaded. "Just let me talk to you for a minute."

"A minute? One minute? Nope, too long." I didn't have the patience for this right now. He frowned. "Please. I need to talk to you. We need to talk about this."

"_We _don't need to do anything. _I _need to wake up Peeta and Prim, and _you _can do whatever you want to do. I honestly couldn't care less." I turned on my heel and started to stalk away. He grabbed my arm.

"Katniss, wait. I know I was a jerk. I abandoned you when you needed me. Even if you wouldn't have known I was there, I should've been. Please. Five minutes. That's all I ask."

I thought this over. How much damage could he do in five minutes? Knowing Gale, a lot, but he had been there for me every time prior to this. I owed him at least this short period of time. "Fine," I sighed. "Five minutes. Let's talk."


	12. Chapter 12

**Woot! Update time! Don't you feel special? I know I do. I'm stoked to write about the games. I wanted to write about them from a different perspective. I always wanted to see what it was like for the people in Panem to watch the games. So anyway, I'm not going to tell you if he dies or not. But I _will_ say that I'm not Suzanne Collins. I'm not a sick heartless person who delights in the pain of my readers. That's all I'm saying. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Book Peeta: Get back here! Give me back my prosthetic leg! Hey!**

**Me: Josh! Josh, now would be a great time to show up!**

***motorcycle pulls up along the curb***

**Josh: Get on, quick!**

**Me: Thank God you're here! *gets on motorcycle* Drive!**

***motorcycle speeds away into the night***

**Book Peeta: I swear I'll get you if it's the last thing I do! You don't own the Hunger Games, and you don't own my leg!**

***hops back inside his house***

**Chapter 12**

"What do you want, Gale? I really don't have time for this," I say in a huff.

"Catnip, please. I just need to talk to you."

"Okay, I told you I'd give you five minutes, so start talking."

He sighs heavily and nods. I'm seriously reconsidering allowing him to talk to me when he finally speaks. "Katniss, I miss you-" I start to interrupt him, but he holds up a finger to silence me. "I miss you, and I want to be your friend. You know I love you, but I'm willing to be your friend for now."

"For now? What happens later when you decide you want more than that again? I can't love you, Gale. I love Peeta. I _need _Peeta. I can't lead you on anymore."

"Oh, come on, Catnip! You have to admit there are things I can give you that he can't! He doesn't live in the seam, he doesn't understand you the way I can!"

I take a step towards him and jab my finger in his face. "Don't you dare act like you're above him. You may be from the seam like me, but you will never understand what it's like to be in the Games. He is the only one who can feel what I feel and understand why I feel it." He grabs my hand and pulls it away from his face, pinning it at my side. I struggle to break free from his grasp, but he's too strong. He pins my other arm at my right and holds me still. I start to yell in protest for him to let me go, but I don't get the chance.

He crushes his lips to mine, despite the unhappy grunt that escapes my throat. I squirm and push against his grip, but he doesn't let up. He continues to kiss me, his lips moving forcefully against my unresponsive ones. I bite down on his bottom lip, hard, in order to hurt him and make him release me, but he doesn't take it the way I'd hoped he would. However he makes the mistake of bringing his hands up to grab my face, and I beat against his chest with my fists. He breaks away, finally, and I gasp for air. Once I can properly breathe again, I pull my fist back and punch him square in the eye.

"Oh my God, why would you do that?" he growls, clutching at his face.

"Why would _I _do that? You're the one who tried to take advantage of me! How dare you do that to me!"

"I had to do that. Just once."

"I'm sorry, but that's not the first time you've kissed me, so I'm afraid you've already used up that 'just once.'" He scowls in response. I'm angry now. "Don't look at me like that. I told you no, and you had the nerve to attack me!"

"I didn't attack you, I kissed you."

"I sure felt pretty attacked." He mumbles something under his breath, and I almost catch it, but what I hear is unbelievable. My jaw is set when I ask him, "What did you just say?"

"I said, I bet _he _doesn't kiss you like that."

And as if one punch wasn't enough, I walk up to him, keeping my composure, and sock him in the jaw. Whirling around, I storm off towards mine and Peeta's tree. I hear Gale following me, so I decide to do something drastic. I kneel down in front of Peeta and nudge him awake, making sure Prim is fast asleep. His eyes open groggily. "Katniss, what-" I cut him off, grabbing his shirt and kissing him with all the strength I can muster. His eyes open wide with surprise, and I note how beautifully blue they look in the dawn sunlight before he closes them, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me closer. Finally I break away and gasp for air. In the distance I hear the shaking of leaves that I take to mean Gale has just punched a tree.

"What was that for?" Peeta asks, breathless, a grin spreading across his face.

"Oh, nothing. I just really hate Gale. And I really love you." I smirk.

"Do me a favor and get mad at Gale more often, okay?" He says, and I laugh with him. Prim stirs and rolls over to face us. Her eyes widen a little when she sees the way I'm wrapped around Peeta, and we quickly distance ourselves from each other. But Peeta reaches for my hand and entwines our fingers together. Prim giggles. "Sorry to interrupt." My face flushes red, and I look at the ground.

We're suddenly interrupted by a loud noise. It's the alert to come to the viewing of the games, if desired. I look at Peeta and he smiles grimly, rising with me and pausing to help Prim up. We walk over to the viewing screen together and have a seat by Annie. She doesn't acknowledge that we've arrived. She stares at her hand and twists her engagement ring around. Seeing the ring makes my eyes glisten with tears. It's a simple design. An emerald in a silver setting. On the inside something is inscribed, but I don't ask what it says. That would be too personal, especially now. Beside it rests her gold wedding band that she got only a few weeks earlier. I reach out and grab her hand, expecting her not to respond. To my surprise, she squeezes my hand and looks at me, smiling. This is the most alive she's seemed since Finnick was taken, and I wonder for a brief moment if she remembers me staying with her.

The screen turns on, startling me when the interviews music plays. Caesar Flickerman steps onto the stage, smiling an almost too wide smile. He chatters about the tributes' training scores. Finnick got a 10, and the girl paired with him got an 11. The rest of the tributes received scores within the 5-8 range. Except for the scared-looking boy I saw when they initially announced the tributes and their crimes. He miraculously earned a 9.

The interviews begin, and they fly by unexpectedly fast. Mostly because I'm not paying attention to the others. I just want to see Finnick. They're doing things backwards this year. The tributes with the highest levels of treason are going last. That means Finnick will be the last person to speak. The tributes who go before him are stoic and almost unresponsive. You can tell how much hatred and bitter feelings they harbor towards the Capitol and the Games. It's different from my Games. Then, everyone had something to prove. They had families to return to, lives to live, unaffected by rebellion as these people are. These people have fought to liberate the nation of Panem from the iron grip of the Capitol, with the exception of only a few who were hand-picked to torture some of the other tributes. Their scars and permanent frowns speak louder than any words can.

None of the interviews stick in my head until Ari. She is the last person to speak before Finnick. Caesar addresses her past crimes, but she refuses to speak about them. In fact, she refuses to speak at all. No matter how much Caesar prompts, she remains silent, a blank expression on her face. Finally, the audience is restless, and four Peacekeepers step out from behind the stage to take her away. She stands up, offering no resistance to them whatsoever.

All of the viewers in our camp are quiet as this happens. I hear one woman begin to sob. Perhaps she knows the girl. But I doubt that. This woman most likely cries because she admires this girl, her strength and determination to remain who she is. In a roundabout way, she reminds me of Peeta. Once she is gone, Finnick is escorted onto the stage. Caesar stands and greets him as if they were old friends, which they probably are. Finnick shakes his hand, but does not smile. He and Caesar have a seat, and they begin.

"So, ladies and gentlemen, how wonderful is it to once again welcome to the stage, the Great Finnick Odair?" He raises his arms dramatically, and the crowd roars in response, hooting and calling Finnick's name.

"Thank you Caesar, but I'm not exactly being welcomed here in the Capitol." Finnick forces a smile.

"Of course, but we aren't any less excited to be seeing you here for the third time." Once again the crowd goes wild.

"I'm not excited to be here, honestly," Finnick says flatly. Caesar clears his throat. "Oh?" he says. "And why is that?"

"Because I want to go home. I don't want to be here."

"But, Finnick the Capitol _is _your home."

"Once, yes. But the rebels-" and the screen goes black for a moment. The program returns, but we have no idea what Finnick has just said. We can only guess that whatever it was, he'll pay for it in the arena. Caesar continues, "Well I'm sorry to hear that. And I'm afraid our time is almost up. First, our leaders would like to allow you a few moments to say goodbye to your loved ones who may be watching you right now. So go ahead." Caesar nods toward him, and Finnick takes a deep breath.

"I want to say something to my wife." There is a wave of sighing and complaining over Finnick's newly revealed unavailable status, but he ignores it. "Annie, I don't know if you're watching me right now. But if you are, know that I love you. I love our baby. If I'm not back before he's born, I want you to know that. And before I go, I want you to know that they can't take you. They can never take you again. You're safe. You're free. They can't take you, Annie. Katniss will-" And the screen goes blank. At the mention of my name, they cut off his goodbye to the love of his life. I turn to Annie.

"It's okay, Katniss. It wasn't your fault. I'm gonna be okay. He'll come home."

"How do you know?" I ask, though I realize I shouldn't have.

"Because he knew. I didn't tell him, but he knew. Our baby is a boy."


	13. Chapter 13

**What? Another update? But it's only been two days! How can this be? Well, deal with it. I'm updating. Hah. I am updating today because of an awesome reader. _JP-A-True-Gallagher-Girl. _She wrote me a super long review, and it seriously made my night last night. So you can thank her for today's update. And I know a lot of you are worried about Finnick dying. So I'll tell you, I guess….no I won't. Sorry. You'll have to wait. This is a story, people. Not an open forum! Lol sorry I love to tease you guys. Anyway, here's chapter…13? Yeah, 13. Dang, I really need to write down the numbers as I go. They're off one on my document manager since I posted an author's note before a chapter separately. So now it's all messed up. Ugh. I need to start writing it down. Anyway, this is chapter 13.**

**Disclaimer: *wedding march music* Judge: If anyone knows some reason why Alyssa and Josh should not be wed, speak now or forever hold your peace.**

**FF People: Wait! Stop!**

**Me: *death glare* What could you possibly want right now?**

**FF People: We need to know if you own the Hunger Games.**

**Me: How many times. Do I. Have. To tell you. NO!**

**Josh: Calm down, sweetums. It's okay.**

**FF People: Fine then. We just needed to know. Gosh, take a chill pill.**

**Me: GET OUT! Get OUT of my wedding!**

**(lol can you tell I have fun writing these disclaimers?)**

**Chapter 13**

We were once again crowded around the screen. I was clutching Annie's hand and Peeta's, both for different reasons. I held Annie's hand to support her, to be strong for her. But I wasn't strong. The only way I was able to remain calm was to hold on to Peeta. Otherwise I would be lost.

Today, they were sending Finnick into the arena. Once that minute is over, and the signal tells the tributes to run, there is no going back. Finnick will have to find a weapon. Either that or he will die. There are no sponsors, no outside help whatsoever except what he can find at the Cornucopia. Claudius Templesmith and Caesar Flickerman banter back and forth as the tributes are being prepared to step onto the platforms. But I don't pay attention. Maybe I should. I might want to hear the altered rules, but I don't care. Peeta will fill me in if I miss something important. As I think this, the screen shifts to the arena.

It was a forest. But it wasn't like the forest in my arena. This forest was never-ending. There was no large lake, no large expanse that held the Cornucopia in plain view. In fact, I didn't see the Cornucopia at all. I squinted my eyes to try to see, and as I did I heard Caesar say something interesting.

"This year our tributes will have to locate the Cornucopia somewhere in the arena. In front of their platforms, there will be an array of weapons; each one specialized to a certain tribute. The catch is, each tribute's weapon will not be in front of their platform. They can choose to keep the weapon they have and head straight for the Cornucopia, or they can fight for the weapon that gives them the best chance of winning. The choice is theirs."

I gasp. I realize that I have no idea what is the best option is for Finnick. I'm debating his options when I see the platforms begin to rise. I squeeze Peeta's hand tighter as I think of those tubes that send you up into the arena. In the few seconds it takes to reach the top, you feel claustrophobic, frightened, sad, and flushed with adrenaline, all at once. I wouldn't wish that feeling on anyone.

They've all risen to the top. I crane my neck, trying to find Finnick. It's difficult to see anyone, seeing as the platforms aren't in an open area. They're scattered throughout the trees. Finally I find him. _60…59…58…_ He's braced to run, but he sees the weapon in front of him. _57…56…55…54…53…_It's a sword. His brow furrows. _52…51…50…49… _He looks up. Looks at the arena. He sees the forest. Doesn't see the Cornucopia. _48…47…46…45…_He scans the forest. He looks for the other tributes. There are two on either side of him, both about three yards away. _44…43…42…41…40…39…_

The screen changes. It closes in on Ari. She has a spear in front of her platform. She doesn't look happy. _38…37…36…_the screen shifts again. It focuses on a woman in her early thirties. I think she was one of the lesser criminals. She looks around for the Cornucopia. She doesn't find it. She sees a hunting knife in front of her. Her eyes widen in fright. _35…34…33…32…31…30…_

Now the screen shows a wide view of five tributes. They are so close, but the dense forest prevents them from seeing each other. _29…28…27…_The frightened boy is among them. I can't see what the weapon is in front of him. It's too distant from the camera's view. _26…25…_The young girl whose parents were higher up on the list stands on her platform, shaking. Her eyes are squeezed shut. As if it would make the arena go away. Like it can take her home with her parents and brother. There is a trident in front of her. Finnick's trident. _24…23…22…21…20…_

Finnick is squinting his eyes when the camera shows him again. He sees a few of the tributes. He sees the girl with his trident. _19…18…17…16…_In that moment, I they put her there intentionally, where he can se her. And I know he will go after his trident.

_15…14…13…12…11…_

Now all the tributes are visible; the camera shows them from the sky. It is gray with the promise of imminent rain.

_10…9…8…7…6…_

I squeeze Peeta's hand. Only the eyes of the tributes move.

_5…4…3…_

Annie sobs.

_2…1…_

The horn sounds. The tributes run. Finnick goes for his trident. Ari chooses to take the spear in front of her. She kills a man who runs in front of her to try and grab it from her. There are people falling to the ground. I can't tell which of them are dead. I see a woman fall with a knife in her back. Her attacker rips it from her seemingly lifeless form and runs away. I think the woman is dead. But her hand crawls out from under her and grasps at the earth beneath her. She's trying to crawl away. Someone else comes by and smashes her skull with a rock.

Finnick is on the screen again. He is almost upon the girl with the trident. She hasn't moved. She sits on her platform and cries silent, frightened tears. I wonder how she has gone unnoticed this long. Finnick gets to her, takes the trident with no resistance from the girl. He kneels down in front of her, glancing behind him briefly to make sure no one is coming. He puts on hand on the back of her neck and says something to her quickly, urgently. I think it is a question from the way his eyebrows raise. She nods, tears on her cheeks. She clenches her eyes shut.

Finnick rises. I read his lips as he says, "I'm sorry." He thrusts his trident into her heart. Her eyes pop open for a moment, and I can almost see the life drain out of them. I think I see her smile, but it fades. It fades, and Finnick closes her eyes. And he runs away, strapping the sword he acquired earlier to his belt. Their uniforms are much like mine and Peeta's were in our first Games. A light jacket, plain shirt, cargo pants, and hiking boots. But something set them apart from ours. These are made in bright colors. Finnick wears a bright neon yellow jacket and matching pants. The Gamemakers don't want to make it easy to hide. They're out for blood.

The screen pans away from Finnick, unfortunately, and shows those still struggling near the platforms. I can't count the bodies. There are several, that's all I can say. I do see some of the tributes taking the time to give their victims some dignity. This surprises me. I expected the tributes to be like those in the Quell. Friends outside of the arena, or at least not enemies, but once they reached the arena, self-preservation took over. While these rebels didn't hesitate to kill, they showed remorse. This is more than I could say for the Victors.

One man crosses a woman's arms over her chest and closes her eyes as she slips away. Another man whispers something to another man about his age. I assume it's an apology. Maybe it's a promise.

A man appears on the screen, dressed in bright orange, screaming someone's name. "Jace! Jace, where are you? Jace I'm here!" And then he disappears into the trees again.

After what seems like hours, the violence dies down. On the screen, a red dot appears in a section of the forest. Claudius Templesmith says it represents the cornucopia. Finnick is far away from it. Too far. He's going in the wrong direction. And there's another dot on the screen that's close to his. I don't know who it is, but they're moving quickly.

Anticipating a fight, the camera swiftly focuses in on Finnick. He is walking through the trees, trying to find the Cornucopia, I'm sure. A branch cracks. He stops. Turns around. Readies his weapon. The branch falls to the ground, carrying with it the frightened boy. The one who looked so sad before the Games. He scrambles backwards on his elbows, unable to get up. He scrambles for his weapon, a bow and arrow. My heart leaps. I can already tell that he had planned to pick off tributes from the trees. And I can see that he may not be as frightened as he seems.

Finnick approaches him, wary. But he sees who it is, and he must recognize him as the same terrified boy I saw. He lowers his weapon just a bit.

"Please don't kill me. Please. I don't want to die." The boy pleads, his breath quickening.

"Relax. I'm not going to kill you. You don't deserve to die." I can't help but notice the way he emphasized the word "you." I wonder if the Capitol noticed this too.

"Th-thank you. Thank you so much. My name's Braxton, by the way. Brax for short." The boy lifts his hand for Finnick to shake. He takes it and pulls him to his feet.

"Well, Braxton. It's nice to meet you, but I'm saving your life, not becoming your friend. So I don't need to know who you are." His face is blank. And the boy frowns, seeming disappointed. Finnick turns around and bends over to get Braxton's bow. Braxton's eyes grow cold. He slips Finnick's sword from his belt and moves it to his throat, about to slit it open.

Finnick grabs his hand, but I see there is blood running down his hand, which is curled into a fist around Braxton's. He uses Braxton's strength against him and flips him over his head onto the ground. He points the trident at the boy's back and glares at him. Then he laughs. "That was good! You actually had me going for a minute there."

Braxton looks up at him from his place on the ground, rubbing at his head. "I had to try, Odair. We're all here to win, right?"

"Right. And…" he hesitates for a moment, pondering. "And we also might have a better chance at picking off these idiots if we work together. Right?"

A smug smile spreads across Braxton's face. "Right. So, allies?" he says, reaching out a hand for Finnick to shake.

Finnick shrugs, still looking unsure. "Allies." And he shakes his hand.

**Oh em gee! Do you guys trust Braxton? I don't. I wonder what will happen next! Oh wait, I already know. Anyway, I just wanted to address something that kinda bothers me. *WARNING: I act like an extreme grammar nerd here!* I think I have a problem with verb tenses. I tend to switch between past and present tense. Just so you know, it is supposed to be in present tense. I just get mixed up sometimes. I'm a perfectionist about that kind of thing. And you guys are probly like Oh my Gaaaaaawd why is she so nerdy? Well I am who I am, 'kay? So just deal with it. If you guys see other grammar and spelling issues in here, let me know. I welcome it. I despise grammar mistakes. Oh, and the shift button is kinda messed up on my keyboard, so if there's a word that should be capitalized, and it isn't, chances are I thought I capitalized it, but my keyboard is a jerkbag. So anyway, thanks for reading. Review!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Oh em gee, you guys, I'm updating! It's been a while. Well, it hasn't been too long, but it's later than I'd hoped it would be. I've been taking care of my dad after his surgery, which I think I already mentioned. But now he's back at work, so I get days alone at my house, and in turn, you guys get updates. I wanted to address the fact that I kinda skipped a lot of stuff that probably should've been there pre-games. Like I'm sure there would've been stuff in between, and I kinda skipped it because I feel like these Games are being really rushed due to their controversial tributes, compounded with the fact that last year and the year before, the pre-games stuff led to the thoughts of rebellion. Anyway, now that's all cleared up, so I'll get to the story.**

**Disclaimer: *the credits roll after Catching Fire* Me: alright, let's do this, Joshy. *the two of us pull out flamethrowers.**

**Me: I gave you a chance, movie! But he didn't take his shirt off, so I'm afraid I shall have to torch this theatre. Josh, now.**

***Josh takes shirt off* Josh: Let's do this.**

**Me: Wait, first things first. Before I do this, let me assure you losers that I DON'T own the Hunger Games.**

***We turn on the flamethrowers and proceed to torch the theatre***

**Chapter 14**

Finnick and Braxton's shaky alliance was extremely unnerving. I was constantly afraid that the second Finnick turned his back, Braxton would finish him off. That fear had almost come true after they first formed their alliance, right after dark.

I don't think Finnick had realized how severe the cut on his throat was until it was almost too late. They had been walking along through the thick trees, and all of the sudden, Finnick collapsed to his knees. Braxton turned to ask him what was wrong, but Finnick couldn't speak. He clutched frantically at his throat, his hands shaking violently, trying to staunch the bleeding. He choked on the blood caught in his throat. He coughed and coughed, but that seemed to worsen the problem, sending blood shooting from his mouth and impairing his breathing.

"Brax- Braxton," he managed to choke out, his normally humor-filled voice broken and gargled. "Help. Me…..allies…" He could barely finish his sentence. Braxton sighed, like this whole situation were such an inconvenience to him. He ripped a scrap of his dark black shirt, the only piece of every tribute's ensemble that was not eye-catching, and wrapped it around Finnick's throat. He pushed him backwards until his back rested on a large rock and leaned his head back. He was trying to slow the blood flow between his body and his throat. Holding Finnick still, Braxton pressed down on the piece of cloth wrapped around Finnick's neck, hard. A strangled, watery sounding cry escaped Finnick's lips, but the steady flow of blood from his mouth seemed to slow.

I wanted to monitor this whole scene between Finnick and Braxton, but the camera cut away. I released a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding in. Peeta pulled me against his chest as the scene changed to show Ari. She was almost upon the cornucopia, which must be why they were showing her. On the electronic map in the corner of the screen, another blinking dot sat motionless behind a nearby tree; it seemed to be watching her.

She noticed something was off around her. She clutched her spear in a clenched fist, preparing to fight. And this was a smart plan for her, because almost as soon as she'd realized something strange, a man jumped out from behind a thick tree and attacked her. His arm lashed out at her, the small hunting knife in it barely missing her abdomen. She shrieked in anger and lunged, thrusting her spear towards his heart. She wasn't as unlucky as he had been. Her spear quickly found its target. The man gasped and looked down at his chest in disbelief. But Ari wasn't finished.

She ripped the spear from his chest roughly. Shoving him to the ground on his back, she thrust it in his heart once again. I clutched onto Peeta as a disgusted sound passed my lips. She got on her knees, one on either side of his torso, and smirked at him.

"Thank you for your participation in this year's Hunger Games," she said in a sickly sweet voice. It was the first time I'd heard her speak. She leaned down and looked in the dying man's eyes, then, to everyone's surprise, she kissed him square on the lips. She lifted her head and wiped the blood from her lips, getting off of his chest. The cannon sounded, and Ari walked away, taking his knife and her spear, along with a small woven basket the man had on his person, filled with different leaves and herbs. Ari frowned, thinking. And I realized I was having the same train of thought.

This man hadn't made that basket. He was one of the married tributes whose spouse was also in the Games. The man was from District 3, like the boy from my games who helped the careers dig up he mines. He wouldn't know how to weave a basket. But his wife was from District 4. She would easily know how to weave. And Ari realized this, too. "Where are you?" she said, scanning the forest. Her eyes suddenly lit up, her nostrils flaring, and her head snapped to the right. She ran off, full sprint, deeper into the forest. And the camera panned away. I tried not to pay too much attention to the other tributes. I only noticed those I felt were important.

And thinking that made me sick. They were all important. They had families and lives outside of this arena, but it was easy to forget that when you're watching someone you love go through this experience. So I didn't watch the others. I only monitored Finnick, Braxton, Ari, and a few others I had noticed before the Games had started. Night had fallen earlier, but it was only now that the anthem played, and the seal appeared overhead. Nine dead in the bloodbath. I guess the Cornucopia didn't have to be present for the tributes to attack each other at the start.

I watched the faces of these brave rebels go across the screen. The girl Finnick had killed for his trident, the man Ari had killed at the start, and the man from 3 that Ari had so brutally murdered. The look of shock on that poor man's face will haunt me forever. I only hoped that his wife had been in hiding somewhere else and not watching it happen. She must know by now that he's dead, but she didn't need to see how. Finally, the death count was over, and Caesar and Claudius Templesmith signed off for the night.

The first night was over. Tomorrow we'd find out what had happened overnight. If there'd been any deaths in the middle of the night, if Ari had found that woman. If Finnick had succumbed to his injury. If Annie's baby was to be fatherless. I reached over and embraced her, telling her that he'd be fine. But I could feel myself shattering.

Peeta stood up and offered me his hand. I got up with him, but we didn't leave just yet. Peeta knelt down and picked up Prim, who had fallen asleep. He carried her in his arms, being careful not to wake her, all the way to hers and my mother's section of the forest. We both kissed her on the forehead before setting off toward our own tree.

When we got there, we sat down in silence, a little space between us, my arms at my sides and his clasped together in his lap. As few minutes passed as we sat there in silence, processing what had happened today, mentally analyzing Finnick's chances for survival.

I tried to be strong. I had to be strong. For Annie, for Prim, for Peeta, for myself. I had to be strong because it was expected of me. I was the strong one, the one who didn't crack under pressure, who thrived under it. I should have expected Peeta to read my thoughts, but when he spoke, I was still surprised at what he said.

"You don't have to be strong for me. You know that, right? I know you feel like everyone is depending on you, and that you can't be sad, that you can't _cry _because that'd be weakness. It's not weakness to weep for a friend. It's compassion. And compassion, to me, is far more appealing to me than a hard outer shell. Katniss," he turned to me now, pulling my face to look at him. "Katniss, when was the last time you cried?" His eyes glistened as he looked at me. And I broke down.

Sobs ripped through my body, shaking my entire form and making my vision blurry. Tears poured down my cheeks without let up. "Peeta, I-" I began, but he cut me off.

"Shh. Don't say anything. Just come here." He pulled me against him. I sat between his legs, curled in a ball, wrapping my arms around his waist. He stroked my hair and whispered soft words to me, telling me he loved me and that he was here for me, always. I couldn't remember a time where I had cried harder than this. Not even when my father died. I suppose that now I cried for every sad thing that had ever happened to me. I cried for my father, for Prim's name being called, for going into the games, for Rue, for nearly losing Peeta, for everything unfair thing that had been thrust upon me. By the end, I had cried out all my sadness. I thought of Peeta, and my tears were happy, grateful. I had Peeta with me, to hold me, to say the things I need to hear, to love me. And I was never going to give him up.


	15. Chapter 15

**Update time! I want to apologize for all the terrible grammar in my last update. It was awful. When I read over it, I was just like ew, how can I be so dumb? Anyway, I hope you all like whump. Because there will most likely be a lot of it in the chapters to come. I promised hollowgirl15 I would put some in here, and I also just love writing it. So deal with it. I love you guys! Keep reading! (This chapter is once again dedicated to JP-A-True-Gallagher-Girl)**

**Disclaimer: Suzanne Collins: Hello. I am Suzanne Collins, author of the best-selling teen fiction series, _The Hunger Games. _I would just like to apologize for the *gulp* I can't say this…**

**Me: Say it, or I won't untie you. Do you not feel this gun pressed against your back? Continue.**

**SC: I would just like…to apologize…for the…horrible depressing mind-numbing joy-killing monstrosity that I like to call…Mockingjay. The third book in my series. Please, I beg of you to forgive me. Also, my captor does not own _The Hunger Games_. Thank you for your time…PLEASE HELP ME I'VE BEEN CAPTURED BY A CRAZY-**

***gunshot***

**Chapter 15**

The night had been uneventful, according to Caesar and Claudius. They briefly showed the campsites and hiding spots of the tributes. Ari hadn't slept, but she had taken up temporary residence under a large tree off to the side of the cornucopia, which she still hadn't come across, despite her proximity to it. Some tributes hid behind bushes and up in trees, and others, more desperate, simply slept on the ground with little to no cover. Finnick and Braxton had constructed a lean-to and covered it with nearby branches and leaves. It was actually rather convincing.

The two of them had collected small twigs in the night and stacked them neatly inside their shelter. They planned to start a fire. I was wondering how in the world Finnick could think that was a good idea when Braxton spoke. He told Finnick that back home he helped his father, who had been a blacksmith, with the chimneys. He showed Finnick how to filter the smoke out of the shelter without it becoming obvious to anyone walking by. I found it hard to believe, but once the fire started, the lack of noticeable smoke spoke for itself.

Since nothing of importance was happening there except the occasional replacement of Finnick's neck bandage, the screen shifted. Two tributes, a man and a woman I didn't remember very well, were fighting off to the west of the arena. The man carried a silver hunting knife in his right hand, holding onto it with a clenched fist, while the woman was armed with only a rock. They circled each other. Then when they began to converse, it became evident that they knew each other. They had been captured for the same crimes. In fact, they had been paired together. But of course that didn't take precedence over their instinct of survival. They lunged at each other with wild looks in their eyes. Eventually the man lost his grasp on the knife and fell scrambled to the ground to retrieve it. The woman, whose name was Kora, took the opportunity to smash the rock against the side of his head. He didn't die at first, but he was fazed. Kora jumped on him where he lay on the ground, and she hit him over and over again with the rock. She struck him everywhere she could reach, his face, his ears, his forehead, the back of his head. Finally he was dead, and the cannon sounded. It was the first death of the day.

Kora rose from his body and took his knife with her, tossing the bloody rock she'd killed him with to the side. Her arms were red all the way up to her elbows. She wiped some blood from where it spilled out of her mouth, leaving a dried brown bloodstain on her cheek. "Goodbye, Ambrose." She said to him, and walked away. The screen moved to a jumble of vines growing up a large boulder. Behind them, in a small alcove in the rock, sat a woman and a boy. She was the wife of the man Ari had killed. And the boy was their son. It hit me then that this was the family of four that had been captured together. Well, now it was a family of two. Finnick had killed the girl. And Ari had taken care of the father. The father, who I now remembered as the man who called out for "Jace" at the outset of the Games.

"Jace," the woman said. "They'll be coming for us now. Your father is gone. It's been far too long since he left."

"Mom, don't say that." The boy tried to comfort his mother, draping one lanky arm around her shoulders. He must be younger than me, fourteen, maybe fifteen at the oldest, but he had just inherited such immense responsibility. And I could relate to that.

"Jace, it's true. I have to say it because we don't have time to be sad. He's gone, and now I have to keep you alive."

"But what if I don't want to live?" he asked, crying now.

"You have to. I won't see you die, too. I'm sorry. Monkey, I want to tell you I love you. Before it's too late." He started to protest, but she kept talking. "Don't interrupt me. I'm still your mother. And I have to tell you this. I have to…say goodbye."

"I don't want to say goodbye, momma."

"I know, Monkey. I love you. I love you so much." I saw her reach behind her back for something. He didn't see, however, until it was too late. She whipped a stick out from behind her. It had been sharpened, I guessed, to protect them while Jace's father was gone. She drove it into her stomach, stifling a scream. "No!" Jace exclaimed, and he tried to pull the stick from her stomach.

"You'll just make it worse." She choked out. "Don't prolong my death. I love you. Always know that." And the cannon sounded two minutes later. Jace sat cradling his mother's body, a sharpened stick jutting out from her abdomen, and cried over her. The screen panned away.

No other tributes had met up, so the screen once again did a recap of how many tributes remained and where they were located. 13 tributes were left, including Finnick. And two of them, for sure, would pose a great threat to him in the future. The recap was cut short. All of the sudden the camera moved to show Ari. She found the Cornucopia. Finally she had turned around and stumbled across it. And it was incredible.

The golden structure towered over her small frame and shone in the artificial sunlight. It was full to the brim with all kinds of supplies. Ari ventured inside, working from the inside out, and found a large deposit of weapons. A wolfish grin spread across her scarred face when her eyes settled on a large scythe. Its two-edge blade glistened when she removed it from its peg on the walls of the Cornucopia. She ran her fingertip over it just slightly, and even that was enough to slice her finger. She popped it in her mouth, sucking the blood off, and smiled at the sharpness of her new weapon.

She walked toward the exit, collecting a belt of knives, a sword, and a vest made of sturdy material. It was most likely more resistant than it looked. Towards the front of the Cornucopia was a plethora of medical supplies and food. Ari grabbed a backpack filled with bandages, three water bottles, a strange tin of sparkling goo, and a few assorted packages of dried foods. She also opened several other packs and took the water they held. She took mostly water and medicine. I guessed that she was relying on her fighting skills to provide her with extra food.

Soon the Gamemakers got bored watching her pick through the supplies and decided to throw trouble in some other tributes' ways. Throughout the afternoon, we watched as three other tributes died due to the Gamemakers' tricks. Wolf-like mutts devoured a man in his early forties. A poisonous snake that appeared out of nowhere in a tree bit a woman, causing her to fall to the ground and break her neck, though the snake bite would've been enough to kill her by itself. The last tribute died when the small pond she'd found dried up, causing her to die of thirst.

Night fell, and the anthem played, showing the faces of the five that had died today. Finnick and Braxton watched, but when Ari was shown, she wasn't looking. The light from the sky reflected on her face, making her icy eyes seem almost completely white. Kora watched, lowering her eyes for a moment when Ambrose was shown. Jace sat in his small cave clutching his knees to his chest, not daring to look outside. The other tributes whose names I didn't know all watched, sighing when they saw someone they had known.

After the anthem was finished, we expected today's broadcast to end, but instead it kept going. It showed Finnick's face on the screen once more. He and Braxton sat around their small fire and talked. They talked about home, about their families, about the rebellion. All those watching around me looked to each other in shock, whispering about the Capitol allowing this to play. I looked to a guard nearby. Sensing my question, he nodded his head to the left and said, "Beetee."

I glanced over in the direction he'd pointed and saw Beetee and several others crowded around a small screen. Somehow they'd intercepted the broadcast despite their lack of sufficient technology here in the forest. Peeta turned to me and grinned, and I smiled back. Now all that was left was for Finnick to say something profound and game-changing. We watched intently as he and Braxton talked.

"So what's it like…in District 13?" Braxton asked.

"Honestly? It's awful." Finnick laughed. His voice was still gravelly and broken from his injury, but at least he could speak. "You have absolutely no freedom, and the food stinks."

"But, I thought-"

"You thought it was a safe haven full of joy?" Finnick asked, and Braxton nodded. "Well I hate to disappoint you, but it's not as great as it sounds."

"Do you wish you'd never gone there? Do you…regret rebelling?"

"Of course not. Even though I don't exactly enjoy it there, the rebellion gave me something I could never have had in the Capitol. They gave me my Annie." Finnick smiled.

"How exactly does that work. You know…with her being…" Braxton trailed off.

"Mad? With her being completely mad? It works because she's not crazy. Not like she used to be. When she first came out of the Games, she was broken. I know she'll never be the same. When you're broken, even if you can gather all the pieces off the ground, you can't guarantee they'll all fit back together."

"Did you? Put her back together, I mean."

"I'd like to think so. She's improved so much from when she first came out. She used to," he chuckled, pausing. "She used to rhyme. She'd only speak in these weird poems. But now she talks to me like she used to. Before the Games. Sometimes she says things that make me feel like a fool. I guess being a little different gives you a better perspective on life."

They were silent then. Braxton put out the fire and lay back on the ground, using his jacket as a pillow. A few moments passed in silence, but then Finnick spoke again.

"Braxton, if I were given the chance to join the rebellion again, I'd do it in a heartbeat. District 13 may not be as fancy as the Capitol, but my friends are there. My family is there. And after the war is over, these God-forsaken Games will be gone. And all the fear will be gone, replaced by hope for a new future. For my son."

The screen shut off as the Capitol took control of the broadcast once again, but we had it.

We had our game-changing statement.


	16. Chapter 16

Hi… :/ It's been a while…I know. I'm so so so sorry for not updating. It's been like forever. So I apologize. But, hey, at least I'm updating now! nervous smile* I hope you all are enjoying the story so far. I'm sorry if there are inconsistencies. I'm so paranoid about forgetting how many tributes are left of writing about somebody and remembering they're already dead. So I don't think that'll happen, but if it does, tell me! I hate when authors do that, so if I do it, tell me. And once again, I welcome your grammar corrections. You guys who don't care about grammar are probly like "ohmagawd shut up." But that's who I am, kay? Deal with it. I may have said that exact thing last time…sorry. Anyway, enjoy Chapter 16!

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games….what? Can't I just do a normal disclaimer for once?**

Chapter 16

The mood at camp the next day was refreshingly hopeful. The intercepted broadcast was extremely encouraging to those of us who doubted the rebellion's effectiveness. Finnick's words even made Annie's face look a little less pallid. I even caught her humming this morning when Peeta and I joined her for the recap of yesterday and the start of today's broadcast.

The recap told us that five had died yesterday, and one more during the night. She was killed by Ari. The footage was brutal. I understood why Ari had picked the scythe as her first weapon from the Cornucopia. Her face was monstrous as she charged the poor woman, the scythe gliding smoothly through the air and slicing the woman's head off. Now there were nine tributes left, including Finnick, Braxton, and Ari. I paid closest attention to those three, though I also kept a watchful eye on Jace and Kora.

Finnick and Braxton were on the move now. They'd stomped the remains of their fire out and blown the ashes into the wind as effectively as they could. They scattered the branches that had served as their shelter and gathered their supplies, heading off in the opposite direction that the one from which they came. They were heading in the right direction, straight toward the Cornucopia. Unfortunately, Ari was patrolling around the perimeter of the Cornucopia, and if they wanted to get to the supplies, they would have to kill her.

The day was uneventful. No tributes died for hours, though some came close. However, none of them had seen any confrontation. They had faced natural disasters and wild animals. One girl almost starved to death, but she trapped a rabbit and devoured it, uncooked.

Finally, something happened. Though I wasn't exactly glad. Finnick and Braxton were almost at the Cornucopia. Finnick walked in front, and Braxton trailed behind with his bow, ready to pick off anyone who might be following them. He also proved useful when it came to finding food. Finnick didn't have any water in which to go fishing, so he had to work a little harder to catch things with his trident. However, Braxton, who was much more skilled than I had expected him to be with the bow, brought down three birds and two rabbits. After they ate, they scattered the ashes of their small fire and kept moving. That's when things went wrong. Though they had scattered the ashes efficiently, they hadn't counted on Ari's uncanny sense of smell. The camera showed her stop dead in her tracks. She had been heading away from the two of them, but she caught a whiff of smoke. Her pupils shrank, which made me shudder, and she charged toward the smell, somehow remaining soundless.

Thankfully, Finnick and Braxton were already in battle-ready mode, so to speak, their formation intact once again. Ari charged through the trees and found them. But instead of immediately attacking them, she stopped. And smiled.

"Hey there, Finnick Odair!" she said cheerily, her sharp teeth glistening in a wolfish grin.

"Good afternoon, Ari." Finnick tipped his invisible hat to her and did a little half-curtsy. I would've laughed at this gesture if I weren't so aware of the danger he was in. Braxton didn't join in on the faux pleasantries. He simply glared in Ari's direction.

"It's a shame I'm going to have to mangle such a handsome face. I have a feeling a lot of Capitol women will shed many a tear tonight." Her eyes darkened.

"You'll have to get through both of us first." Braxton said.

Ari smirked and tightened her grip on her weapon. "Okay." And she attacked. She went for Finnick first, deciding he was the bigger threat, though Braxton helped keep her at bay. They were all three melded into one blur of movement. I couldn't keep track of everything that took place. One second they were all standing. The next, Finnick was on the ground with Ari on top of him, pushing her scythe slowly toward his neck against his trident. She was close to making contact. Too close. If she cut open his neck even a tiny bit, he would surely die from blood loss. They barely patched it up the first time.

Suddenly, Ari screamed in pain and jumped off of Finnick. She turned to her left, where Braxton stood, bow raised, and pulled an arrow out of her left arm. Her gaze had previously been almost playful, but now her eyes were filled with pure hatred. I guessed this was the first time an opponent had actually hurt her.

Finnick leapt off the ground to assist Braxton. Ari had kicked him squarely in the chest, knocking the wind out of him. He fell to his knees, coughing and sputtering. She leaned back to swing her scythe at his neck, but Finnick grabbed her arm and jerked her to the ground. Her head smacked onto a rock protruding from the short grass. Her teeth clenched together as she struggled to get up. Finnick lowered his trident to her throat, swallowing hard. I could see clearly that though he knew he must, he did not want to kill this girl. This girl who had to be only about nineteen. He closed his eyes and raised his trident a little, preparing to bring it back down.

"WAIT!" A voice called out to Finnick's right. He turned, startled, but didn't remove his foot from Ari's chest. Jace appeared on the screen. He carried with him a sharpened stick. I assumed that it was the same one that had killed his mother. "Wait." He said again.

"What do you want?" Finnick said warily. "You want me to spare her?"

"No. No of course not. I just…I need to know something first."

He slowly approached Finnick, dropping his weapon and raising his arms up where Finnick could see them. He knelt down by Ari, who writhed and spit and screamed profanities. "Was it you?" he asked, his stare intense.

"What are you talking about?" she snapped.

"Did you kill my father?"

She threw her head back and laughed. "Probably. I've killed a lot of people. It's safe to assume I did him in."

Jace didn't respond. He stood and looked at Finnick. "Can I do it?"

"Look, kid. I know what you're feeling, but I don't think-"

"Let me do it." He interjected. "I'm going to die anyway. Everybody knows it. Just let me do it." Finnick chewed his lip, considering. Finally, he nodded. He waited for Jace to plant one foot on the girl's chest before removing his own. Jace pried Ari's scythe from her hands, revealing crescent shaped gashes where her nails had dug into her skin to keep the weapon from leaving her hands. He studied it briefly, and then swiftly slashed it through her throat. Tears ran down his cheeks as he watched her die. She screamed, a high pitched keening that kept getting interrupted by the gargling of her own blood in her throat. I shut my eyes tight, holding Peeta's hand.

The cannon finally sounded. Though she was still, the blood still ran down her neck. Her cold blue eyes were no longer darting around in search of victims. They looked straight ahead. They would never move again. Finnick, Jace, and Braxton backed away and let the hovercraft take her. Night was falling, a lot sooner than it normally would. They were telling the tributes to go to sleep. I assumed this meant tomorrow would be a big day. I smiled briefly, thinking of Effie. Peeta turned to me. "Tomorrow is going to be a big, big, big day!" I laughed softly, marveling at the fact that he had the same train of thought I had.

I turned back to the screen just in time to hear Finnick and Braxton discussing what they would do about Jace. They were arguing whether or not to "keep him," so to speak. Suddenly, Jace interrupted.

"Don't worry. I don't want to go with you. I'm done here." And at that, he sliced open his own throat. Finnick screamed and ran to him. "No. No no no no no. Don't die. Don't die just yet."

"Finnick, just let him go!" Braxton yelled.

"No! I won't leave him! I know he's going to die, okay? Just…I don't want him to die alone." He slid his legs under the boy and cradled his head. Jace smiled, a boyish grin that made his dimples prominent. And then the cannon sounded. Jace was dead.

This poor boy that had only wanted to be with his family, who was the last remaining member of his family, was gone. And hopefully, people would notice. Because I noticed. And the first chance I got, I was going to do something about it.


	17. Chapter 17

I promised you an update, and you're getting one! So I hope you're grateful. I have a bunch of summer homework I have to do, and I'm taking time away from that to write this. Also, I wanted to let you know again that I posted the first oneshot. I'm deleting the author's note I posted last night, so I figured I should mention it here in case anyone hadn't already read it. But yeah, follow "Panem Miscellany" on my profile. That's where I'll post all the oneshots. Keep sending me your ideas, and I'll write them for you!

**Disclaimer: Josh: and I just have to say, Alyssa, that I- I- I- Lov-**

**FF People: burst into room* Hey we need to know if you own the Hunger Games!**

**Me: *murderous glare* No. I do not. Now will you get out of here?! Do you not realize what was just about to happen? Get out get out get out!**

**FF People: *awkward silence* *slowly backs out of room***

**oOo**

Chapter 17

After the hovercraft took Jace away, Finnick and Braxton finally set off toward the Cornucopia. Though Ari had taken most of the water, she had also made her camp near the large golden horn, so they found her stash rather quickly. Once they had stocked up on essential supplies, they picked through the weapons spread around and inside the Cornucopia. Finnick found three tridents, his face lighting up like a kid in a candy store when he saw them gleaming in the corner of the Cornucopia. Braxton silently marveled at a golden bow with a sheath of arrows attached. Though there were other bows, he took only the one. However, he did take several sheaths of arrows and strapped them too his back. Finnick found an odd harness that I had never seen before and strapped it to his back with the three extra tridents in it. He obviously understood its purpose better than I did.

Their equipment and supplies all gathered, they discussed making camp. They took a similar approach to Ari's. Finnick set up their things near the side of the Cornucopia, just obscured from view, and Braxton climbed a tree, bow in hand, to keep an aerial view of anyone that found their way to their campsite. Three distant cannons sounded, signaling the deaths of more rebels. The broadcast showed a replay of their deaths, but I didn't watch. Peeta did, his grip on me tightening as I heard the screams of a man cut through the forest. That one must have been particularly terrible. I looked up again when I heard Kora speaking. She was apologizing to a man she was braced to kill. His face was bloodied and bruised, and she held a rock in her hand. I didn't understand why she used it. She had a knife strapped to her belt, but she continued to brutally beat her victims to death with a rock. Her killings were rather ironic. She willingly murdered tributes with a rock, but she constantly apologized for everything she did.

She finally ended the man's life. The cannon sounded. I expected the screen to go back to Finnick and Braxton, but it didn't. The screen lit up, and Caesar Flickerman appeared. He announced that the arena had only three remaining tributes in it. There would be no feast, but the Gamemakers were currently finding ways to draw them together for "the ultimate display of courage and strength," as they so cleverly phrased it. In actuality, it was a pre-arranged slaughter.

Kora appeared on the screen, walking through the forest carefully. Suddenly she stopped, hearing something us viewers could not. Her eyes widened in fear and she broke into a sprint. Behind her, a huge beast ran after her. It looked like a floppy-eared dog on steroids. Multiplied by ten. Its teeth extended out of its mouth in a menacing overbite. Its front legs were longer than its hind legs, so the way it ran was clumsy and loud. I guessed that its strength compensated for its lack of stealth. She ran faster and faster, but the thing kept getting closer. She scanned around her for a way out, and decided on climbing the nearest tree. She scrambled up the thick trunk, screaming in terror as she nearly fell once or twice. As she reached the top branch, she gasped. The mutt was climbing the tree.

If I didn't know better, I would have said that the mutt was grinning. She breathed heavily, frantic. Finally she braced herself against the outermost branch and jumped. She hadn't calculated properly, and she nearly dropped to the ground instead of the nearest tree. Thankfully, her hands caught on a low rising branch and she pulled herself up. The mutt had just realized that she was gone, so she took the opportunity of its temporary confusion to drop to the ground and run. She succeeded, but at a price. The low rising branch wasn't as low as she had thought, so when she landed, there was a very audible snapping sound. She winced, but kept going. The mutt ran in circles, confused as to where she had gone, and suddenly disappeared, taken from the arena by the Gamemakers.

She breathed a sigh of relief. But it was short lived. She had stumbled too close to Finnick and Braxton's camp. I watched as Braxton readied his bow, aiming at her heart. But something alerted her, and she looked straight at him. She jumped away as he loosed his arrow. She snatched the arrow from the trunk of a tree and hurled it towards Braxton. To my surprise, though it didn't hit him, it wedged firmly into a branch next to his head. Braxton jumped down from he tree. Since Braxton had been on watch, Finnick was sleeping. He woke up from the noise and was already grabbing the trident that wasn't strapped to his back. Kora sprinted toward the Cornucopia and frantically searched for something. I didn't know why she didn't just take the first weapon she saw, but obviously she had her heart set on something specific.

Her eyes lit up and she picked up a heavy metal object. A morning star. Three heavy globes swung from the handle, their sharp spikes shining. She got up and lunged toward Finnick and Braxton, swinging the morning star in circles and gaining momentum. Finnick charged, bringing her down to the ground. She didn't scream. She smiled and swung the morning star at the side of Finnick's head. He cried out in pain and fell off her. She was about to hit him again, but an arrow pierced her free arm. She turned to Braxton in shock and ran towards him. His eyes widened in terror and he ran into the trees. She forgot him and ran to Finnick again.

Peeta and I looked at each other in surprise at Braxton abandoning his ally. It wasn't completely unheard of. Far from it, actually, but it surprised us nonetheless. Finnick was regaining his composure and had stood up, trident in hand. Kora lunged at him, hitting him again in the head. A large gash was forming on the side of his face. He looked confused, but he thrusted forward with his trident anyway. She dodged it and kicked him in the chest. Before he fell to the ground, he grabbed her free arm. It was obviously the one that had broken in her fall from the tree. There was a spreading purplish bruise on her shoulder. She screeched in pain as he brought her down with him. She escaped his grip momentarily and kicked him again. He dropped his trident, and she stood up. He scrambled for it, but Kora stepped on it, holding it in place.

"Really, I am sorry I have to do this. I mean, we fight for the same cause, right? But did it save us in the end? No." she spat out the last word. "I was promised peace from the rebels. But did I get it? No. You have a family, but are you with them now? No!"

"You're wrong. The rebels' hands may not be free of blood, but the cause-" Finnick's words were cut off, and the Capitol seal showed. When the broadcast came back, Kora was sitting on the ground, arms around her knees, and she was crying and shaking. Finnick leaned forward to comfort her, but a whistling sound shot through the air. An arrow hit Kora in the heart. Her mouth opened in her surprise, and her breathing got deeper and faster. Her hands shook as she reached and pulled the arrow from her chest.

Finnick rushed to her side and eased her head to the ground. She was bleeding out. There was no hope for her. Finnick started to speak. Maybe he would have said something inspirational, but we never got to hear it. Kora held a bloody hand up and placed it against his lips, quieting him. "No, don't say anything. Don't you see? I wanted peace, and I've got it now. Thank you. For what you said about the cause. It was worth it." And as I considered why the capitol allowed that to play, the cannon sounded. Maybe they had allowed it because they wanted people to see that she lost her life because of the rebellion, and the cause, though worth it to Kora, would end in death for all those involved.

Finnick turned in the direction from which the arrow came, expecting to see Braxton walking toward him. They were allies, after all. But that's not what happened. Another arrow came from the trees and struck Finnick in his right leg.

"I didn't have to miss." A voice called from the trees. Finnick looked in shock toward the voice. Braxton continued, "I don't want to kill you, Finn. You spared me, and I want to spare you. Kill yourself, so I don't have to."

"I'm not doing that, Braxton. I've got a family to go home to. I can't very well do that if I kill myself, now can I?" Finnick slowly walked toward the trees as he spoke.

"You know I have the upper hand here, Finnick. I can shoot you right now."

"But you won't. You said yourself, you don't want to kill me." Finnick smiled at the trees, knowing Braxton could clearly see him.

I wondered what Finnick could possibly be thinking. There was no way they could both live. And here Finnick was, walking toward the last remaining obstacle between him and his family, practically asking to be killed.

"I don't want to, but I will. I have a home, too." Braxton's voice sounded strained. The camera panned to show his hiding spot in the trees. He was perched on the highest branch of a large tree at the edge of the forest. It was hard to see, but if you looked close enough, it was clear that he was crying. His bow trembled a bit with the shaking of his hands.

Finnick suddenly stopped in his tracks and sat down. He crossed his legs and clasped his hands on his lap. "Come out, Braxton."

Braxton shook his head. "No. No, I can't." Finnick didn't respond. He just sat there, facing the trees and staring at nothing in particular. Finally, Braxton climbed down. He walked toward Finnick slowly and cautiously, still unsure about whether or not this was a trap. He stopped a few feet in front of Finnick and sat down, mimicking Finnick's posture. They sat that way for at least an hour. The broadcast was forced to cut away to recaps of deaths and stories of how this could have been prevented if the rebellion had never occurred. Finally it went back to the live feed. Something was happening. Finnick and Braxton were arguing. They were standing now, and I couldn't tell what they were saying because their words were so loud and mashed together. I heard a few words, like "family," and "kill," and "I can't!" Nothing to really tell me what they were talking about. I looked up at Peeta with a questioning look on my face.

"I think…I think their situations have reversed. Braxton is asking Finnick to kill him." He said quietly. And he was right. Not long after that, the fighting died down, and I could hear Braxton's words clearly. "You did it with that girl at the bloodbath. You did it for her. Why not for me?"

"Because I _know _you now!" Finnick said, exasperated. He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I promised myself I wouldn't make any allies. I promised myself… I can't kill you because I know who you are. And you don't deserve to die. That girl, she didn't either, but I could see…she would end up like Annie. I didn't want that to happen. She wouldn't have had someone to put her back together like Annie did. I couldn't let her go through that. The nightmares… Braxton, I can't kill you."

"Please…nothing good is waiting for me. I said I have a family, and I do, but they stopped caring a long time ago. They support…_this. _And I don't. They don't support me. But your family and your friends need you. No one else needs me." A sad smile crept up on the boy's face. "Really, this is the best option for me." And in one swift movement he took the trident from Finnick's hands and drove it into his heart.

"No! Braxton!" Finnick shouted. "Not again." He lay the boy on the ground and pressed his hands against his chest. He was trying to stop the bleeding. As he realized there was no saving him, I realized I was crying. Peeta kissed the top of my head and wrapped his arms around me. The cannon fired, and Finnick broke out in sobs. Claudius Templesmith's voice boomed through the arena. "Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you the winner of the 76th Annual Hunger Games, Finnick Odair!"

A hovercraft came to collect him. The ladder descended, but Finnick didn't approach it. Finally, three Peacekeepers had to come down into the arena and pull him away into the hovercraft. Caesar Flickerman appeared and signed off for the night, promising the recap of the games tomorrow with "the lucky winner." The screen went dark, and everyone was quiet. One by one we all got up and silently walked back to our camps. But before I left, I went over to Annie. She hadn't moved. She was sitting in front of the screen with a blank look on her face. I thought I saw a small smile on her face, but I could have been wrong. I tucked her hair behind her ears and gave her a small embrace before heading toward our camp. On the way, I overheard something that I'm guessing I wasn't meant to. A few guards were talking about the Games. "…and you know they're lying about sending him home."

"Well of course they are. You ever heard of the Capitol doing something good for anyone?"

"Exactly. I just hope that Coin can get that rescue team in there before they finally end him. I bet they're just aching to, seeing as he's survived every attempt to kill him. Three Hunger Games." After that I just stopped listening. I walked to our camp and settled in next to Peeta, kissing him once before closing my eyes to sleep. Tomorrow, I was going to talk to Coin. They were rescuing Finnick. And I was going to make sure I was on that hovercraft when it landed in the Capitol.

oOo

Hope you liked it! Longest chapter yet. I just wanted to say real quick that I found some inconsistencies. I accidentally wrote "Paxton" instead of Braxton in the first chapter where he's mentioned. And I don't remember if I gave her a name, but I mentioned a red-headed woman when the tributes were introduced, and I think I decided that was Kora, but I didn't specify that in the story. So if you were wondering about those things, then I'm sorry. It was an accident! Anyway, review! I love reviews. They make me happy. And you guys are hilarious. Your reviews are always so clever.


	18. Chapter 18

I told you I'd update today, and I am! Lucky you! I have been so busy lately. It's marching season, so my schedule has literally been marching, school, home, dinner, bed. No joke. But I wanted to update for my lovely readers. And in case you guys are all like "what's with all this suicide?" I thought I would kind of explain. If you don't care, then skip to the chapter. But I just wanted to explain that I made things happen that way because I wanted to show the difference between these games and the Quarter Quell. In the Quell, the tributes knew each other, but they hadn't given up their lives for the rebellion. It was just an idea, a hope. But in these Games, these people have given up everything for the hope of freedom from the capitol. And I think that people with that much courage would be more willing to sacrifice themselves for the greater good. For the rebellion, and for the chance that other people might get to have what they couldn't. So yeah, that's my rant. Review, and give me more suggestions for oneshots!

**Disclaimer: Lanchen: Josh, I'm afraid I have to break up with you. I'm so sorry. It's not you. It's me.**

**Josh: :'(**

**Me: It's okay. Come here, Joshy. I'll hold you. I would never break up with you. *whispers* Never…**

***phone rings* Me: Hello? Oh, hi . No, I don't own the Hunger Games. Uh huh, uh huh, okay. Thanks! Bye! *hangs up phone* Now lay that beautiful jawline on my shoulder, Joshy!**

Chapter 18

Only a handful of people were sitting around the screen now. Most of them were content to have seen Finnick win, so they were willing to forgo the recap of the games and the interview. But Finnick was my friend, and Peeta's, too. And we also needed to be there for Annie. Though lately, she had shown improvement. It seemed she actually believed that the Capitol would keep its promise to send him home. We didn't have the heart to tell her that this was a complete lie.

After a brief introduction, Caesar Flickerman announced that he would soon bring Finnick on stage. The crowd cheered in anticipation. And with a fanfare exploding through the Capitol, Finnick emerged. I gasped. The winning tributes were always made over to look fresh and clean and glowing. _Always. _But not this time. Finnick was being escorted onto the stage by three Peacekeepers, his hands tightly bound in front by metal shackles. His bronze hair was wild and unruly, obviously uncombed. And though he wore a suit, his tie was loose, and he wore no suit jacket. Instead, he wore a light blue button-down dress shirt, and only one sleeve was completely rolled down. The audience's cheers died down a little at the sight of him, an air of confusion spreading over them.

Caesar didn't let this faze him. He greeted him with the same fervor he would if he had been his usual stunning self. Finnick took a seat next to Caesar, and the Peacekeepers stood around the back of his chair, refusing to leave him alone. I wondered what possibly could have happened to cause this. Finnick's eyes were wild, darting about the stage this way and that. I squeezed Annie's hand.

The interview was confusing to say the least. Caesar asked all the usual questions. What was it like? Why did you choose your ally? Are you happy to be out? Why did you do this? Why did you do that? Finnick's answers were short, his voice strained. Like he could barely force himself to speak. Finally, Caesar gave up and went straight to the recap of the Games. Finnick didn't watch. Any time the camera showed his face, his gaze was focused on the ground, his eyes glazed over. But he did look up once. I saw tears form in his eyes as the screen showed him holding Jace in his lap. I expected him to watch again when the end got close. When Braxton was asking to die. When he killed himself. But instead, his expression hardened. It seemed to make him angry, rather than sad.

After the recap was over, they escorted Finnick to the area where he would be crowned. This was where he was to be set free. A stiff-jawed official approached him. He was one of Snow's advisors, the one in charge during Snow's absence. "And now," Caesar announced proudly, "our acting president, Ambrose Earnshaw, will crown our heroic Victor, Finnick Odair!" The crowd cheered, though somewhat halfheartedly, as some were still in shock regarding Finnick's current state. Ambrose approached Finnick, a golden wreath in his hands. He placed it carefully on Finnick's head. I couldn't be sure, but I thought I saw him whisper something to Finnick before leaning away, smiling pleasantly. A twisted smile spread across Finnick's face. It wasn't happy. I never associated smiling with hatred before, but in this instance, I was sure that was the root. Finnick was losing his sanity.

The broadcast was cut suddenly short, the capitol seal flashing on the screen briefly before the screen went black. I looked around, confused. I knew Beetee hadn't done this because it had been the Capitol seal that had flashed before the broadcast was cut. Something must have happened in the Capitol that needed to be omitted. Had Finnick started to speak about the rebellion? Had the crowd swarmed the stage? I doubted it. But what did seem possible was that the broadcast was cut short so no one would see them take Finnick to a dark, moldy cell instead of to a hovercraft on its way to District 13. They were covering up the lie.

I stood up quickly, and without any explanation to Peeta, I found a guard. "Where is Coin?" I demanded. "I need to see her now." The guard snorted.

"I'm sorry, but she is otherwise engaged."

"Well make her available again! I'm going to see her _now._" As I spit out the last word, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned to face Peeta.

"Katniss, sweetheart, let me talk to this man for a moment please," he urged.

"But Peeta, I am perfectly capable of dealing with this-"

"Katniss. Let me talk to him." I shut my mouth and walked away in a huff. Watching from several feet away, I couldn't quite make out their conversation. Peeta's hands moved through the air in a pleading gesture, and his brow was furrowed with feigned concern. For what I wasn't sure. The guard looked over Peeta's shoulder at me for a moment. I wasn't sure what he was looking for in my expression, so I decided to go with one that, I hoped, showed fear. He looked back at Peeta for a moment and nodded. I saw Peeta sigh with relief. He beckoned for me, and I joined him. "Thank you," he said to the guard, and we walked past him toward the opposite end of the camp.

"What on earth did you say to him?" I asked.

"I convinced that you were mentally disoriented. I told him if he let us pass, you'd calm down and probably end up leaving Coin alone anyway. By the way, what was that face you made?" he laughed a little.

"I was trying to look afraid. I thought it might help if I looked like he intimidated me." I looked down at the ground, embarrassed.

"Well you looked like you sucked on a lemon for too long," he chuckled. I punched his arm, and he rubbed it, feigning injury. I rolled my eyes and kept walking.

Soon we reached Coin's camp. It was slightly easier to get to her from here. All we had to do was tell the guards I was the _Mockingjay. _Even though I despised being called that. It was annoyingly effective. We entered a large tent at the edge of a clearing and found the president sitting at a small table in the corner of the room.

I mentally scoffed at the fact that while all the citizens of her district slept in the cold with only blankets, Coin slept in a heated tent complete with furniture. She looked up at us, a look of surprise on her face. "What are you doing here?" she asked, standing.

"I'm here to sign up for the rescue mission," I stated proudly.

Coin laughed. "And why on earth would I let you do that?"

"Because I agreed to be your Mockingjay, and if you don't let me do this, I'm backing out of the deal."

"And what makes you think we need you anymore? Once Soldier Odair is recovered, his story will be perfectly sufficient to rally support." She smirked.

Peeta spoke up. "You're stupid if you think the districts will follow you simply because a Capitol-pampered pretty boy supports your cause." I was shocked at his blunt description of Finnick, but he was right. My story was special mostly because of my roots. I'd come from nothing and risen above, my morals and sense of justice untouched by my experience in the games. Coin frowned.

"An astute observation, Mellark. I suppose you're right. I'll let you come on the rescue mission. But there is a condition. You have to agree to film propos and take pictures of your experience. What good is a Mockingjay if she goes undocumented?"

"Fine. Just so long as I'm on that hovercraft when Finnick comes home. And Peeta, too." Coin nodded. I pulled Peeta from the tent swiftly, eager to leave the presence of that horrid woman. And I started to think.

Coin is one of the most strategy-oriented people in existence. She does nothing without thinking it through to the fullest extent, calculating every outcome. Seeing how it can benefit her or her cause. And she made the decision to let me come along very quickly, too quickly. If she was letting me go to the Capitol, there was a reason other than filming propos. Something bigger was going to happen. And I had no idea what it was. I pushed that thought from my mind. The hovercraft was leaving in a few days, and I had to be ready. We were going to bring Finnick home.


	19. Chapter 19

I am so sorry. It has been like a month since my last update. My mom has been working from home a lot lately, so I haven't had access to the good computer. It seems like she is always on it when I want to write. Hehe. Get it? Always? Lol sorry, bad joke. Anyway, I hope you guys are still reading. And again, leave suggestions for oneshots. I'll post one of those as soon as I can. But I figured if you readers had a choice, you'd want an update for this. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: Me: *hiding in the bushes on the Catching Fire set* Oh! Josh is so cute, bringing his dog to set with him!**

***My phone rings loudly* O.O**

**Josh: *looks around* What was that?**

**Sam Claflin: I have no idea…it wasn't my phone…**

**Josh: I think it came from the bushes.**

**Me: *jumps out from behind bushes* SEND ME TO JAIL, I DARE YOU! *Holds up lighter and oily rag and backs up slowly***

Chapter 19

The next few days were difficult, both physically and emotionally. Peeta and I met up with the other members of the rescue team each morning for training. It wasn't official training we were forced to do, but it was just as physically draining. Most of the faces on the rescue team were faces I didn't recognize, but I got to know a few of them over the course of our training. There was a woman in her early twenties named Arden who usually stuck by Peeta's side and mine each morning. She seemed a little shy, and I liked her well enough, so I let her cling to us.

Japheth, a boy about my age, was surprisingly burly for being so young, and he seemed to have a constant adrenaline rush. I didn't notice until Peeta pointed it out that there was a time when he was calm. "Look at him now. He's being quiet and polite. He's even smiling a little," he told me. "Yeah? So?" I asked.

"Well, what is he doing? Who is he with?"

My mouth opened in a small O shape. Japheth was standing a few feet away from us, shuffling his feet and keeping his gaze low. And next to him stood a frightened-looking Arden. It seemed they were both afraid of each other. I giggled along with Peeta.

Also among the group was someone I would rather not have to see. Gale. He had volunteered the day after I had made my deal with Coin, and she had readily allowed him to go. Her excuse was that he was a good soldier, but I was sure she allowed him to come to further torture me. I avoided him, putting a Peeta wall between us every time I saw him walk in our direction. But there was one instance where Peeta was busy talking to another soldier in the group, and I was left alone, unable to avoid him any longer.

"Hey, Katniss!" I heard from behind me as I tried to walk swiftly away. I whirled around to face him, trying to convey in one look that I really did not want to do this right now. He didn't get the message. "Listen, about that night-"

I cut him off. "That night where you attacked my mouth and holding me against my will? I remember that night. It isn't exactly my favorite thing to think, let alone talk, about."

"But we need to talk about it. I'm sorry. Really, I am. I…I used you, and I'm sorry. I just want to be your friend. That's all."

I frowned, skeptical. "I have a hard time believing that, seeing as that's how you lured me into speaking to you last time. And we remember what happened then, don't we?"

"I mean it this time. I was wrong. I know that now."

"You're not sorry. To be sorry means that you won't do it again. And I don't believe for a second that you won't try that again."

"Try what again?" I start at the voice behind me. I turn to see Peeta, now free from his previous conversation. "Katniss?" he asked, confused.

"Nothing, Peeta. Let's just get out of here. I'm done talking to him." I begin to walk away, but Peeta grabs my arm. "What are you talking about, Katniss? You were yelling across the whole camp."

"Peeta, I…it's not important. It was just…" I don't want to tell him. But he's so persistent. I bite my lip and look up at him, pleading silently for him to drop the subject.

"I kissed her," Gale says. My eyes widen. "Gale, don't-" Peeta shushes me. His gaze turns to Gale. "You…kissed her?"

"Yes. I did. But I'm here trying to apologize, okay? I shouldn't have done it. I get that."

Peeta clenches his jaw but nods. "Just…stay away from her. Okay?"

I silently will Gale to stay silent, but of course he does not. "She's my best friend; you can't expect me to not see her." I brace myself for Peeta's reaction. Despite his obvious anger, he doesn't yell. "I don't care. You are going to leave Katniss alone. That's all there is to it."

I take this as our invitation to leave, so I grab Peeta's arm and usher him further away. But we don't get far. Gale shouts, "Maybe if I'd done more than just kiss her, I'd have the whole Capitol on my side, just like you!"

Peeta shrugs my hand from his arm. "Peeta, don't let him get to you. Let's just walk away from this."

He ignored my plea and turned around, knocking Gale to the ground and landing on top of him. He straddled his chest, repeatedly landing hits to Gale's face. The fight was so quiet, but it seemed so loud in my mind. Gale tried to get up, but I don't think he realized exactly how strong Peeta was. Finally I got sick of screaming for it to end. I gathered my strength and ran, plowing into Peeta's side and knocking him over. I sat on his chest, keeping him down, though he wasn't resisting me. Gale got up, his face bloodied, ready to retaliate, but I proved an effective barrier between them. He started to speak, but I wouldn't let him. I stood, bringing Peeta with me. I pushed him forward, making him walk. I looked back over my shoulder briefly to say, "Don't you dare follow us, Gale Hawthorne. Or I will never speak to you again."

I led Peeta back to our camp, pushing him down to a sitting position. I remained standing, pacing back and forth. I began to speak several times, but nothing seemed to come out as I fussed and fumed to myself. Finally I found my words. "What were you thinking? I just…I can't…what were you thinking?"

He looked at me, his expression a mixture of shame and amusement. Then I glared at him, and the amusement disappeared. "I just couldn't take him anymore. He tested my patience for too long. I just…snapped."

"Well, I don't like him either, but please don't do that again." He nodded and turned his head to the side for a moment. I noticed a small cut on his cheek, a stream of blood coming from it.

"I guess Gale got one punch in," I laughed.

He felt his cheek and looked at his now bloody fingers. "I guess so. You want to clean it for me?" he smirked. I rolled my eyes but knelt down beside him. I grabbed the first aide kit we were given for each camp and got out an antiseptic wipe and a bandage. He winced when I put the wipe on his face and pulled away. He kept doing this, even after several attempts. "Hold still," I ordered him, holding his face myself. Finally he stayed motionless as I cleaned his wound. I put the bandage on it and clapped my hands together, satisfied. I removed my hand from his cheek, but he caught it and put it back.

I started to question him, but before I could speak, he captured my lips in his own. I leaned into him, wrapping my arms around his neck. His arms snaked around my waist and pulled me closer. I was losing myself in his embrace when a throat cleared behind us.

I started, moving to stand, but Peeta held me to him. I giggled, having to force my self to remember that we had a guest. The guard who stood before us looked extremely uncomfortable. "Do you need something?" Peeta asked, his grip on me tightening.

"Well, yes, sir. I was sent to inform you that the schedule has been adjusted slightly?"

"What schedule?" I asked.

"The rescue mission, ma'am. There's been a change in plans. Instead of departing in a week, the hovercraft will be leaving tonight. At midnight."

**oOo**

**Dun dun dunnnnn! I'm disappointed in this chapter. Just sayin. I hope you guys can see past it and still read my story. Please review! Pleasey pleasy please-please pleeeeease! I love you all! Goodbye!**


	20. Author's RantMean Reviewer

**Okay, this isn't an update. This is a rant. So far, I have gotten a really great response to this story. But one anonymous reviewer felt it necessary to basically tell me that I am doing a terrible job of portraying the characters. Okay seriously? I know for a fact that on several occasions, I have said that the characters may be OOC, but _that's the way I want them. _The whole point of fanfiction is to tell the story the way you want it to have gone. This is the way I want it to have gone. And if you don't like it, don't freaking read my story. Just click on some other stupid story where Katniss can't choose between Peeta and Gale. You may like that crap. I. Don't. I want things to be different. So excuse me for writing what I want to write. I hope you are very happy with yourself, anonymous loser. Go write your own story if you freaking care so much. Because my readers who still read this story _obviously _don't care that the characters are a little OOC. Just keep your judgmental opinions to your psychotic self. **

**I hope you enjoyed my rant. It has taken a lot not to use some inappropriate words. If you like my story, follow please. If you're like the anonymous jerk this is about, just keep browsing. Sorry about this. But hey, I gave you a chapter today. So be happy! I just want to say that even though this might make me look like a jerk, I genuinely love all my readers, and that review just really made me upset. People are so rude. Please review today's chapter, _nicely. _I would appreciate this. I'll delete this in a couple days. But I'm too mad right now. Ugh. I am very upset. Okay. Goodbye.**


	21. Chapter 20

*surrenders to the mob of story followers* I surrender! I don't deserve you all! The night before I was supposed to update, I got a terrible earache, and it turned out to be infected. And I wasn't sleeping, and I was in pain, and I was down in bed all week. I love you, readers, and I'm so sorry. But I'm here now. And I also want to thank the anonymous reviewer I was so angry at because they apologized, and I was grateful. I overreacted a bit. And I appreciate all the positive encouragement when I posted my rant; it was nice to see some reader love. Now, here's chapter 20. (I think it's chapter 20. I seriously need to keep a record)

**Disclaimer: * phone rings, barely audible over the rush of the wind on the back of Josh's motorcycle * Me: Watch out for that car!**

**Josh: I see it! * does some awesome maneuver to keep us from crashing ***

*** I pick up the phone * Mysterious voice: Alyssa? Is that you?**

**Me: Yeah! Are you ready to upload? * pulls out laptop and somehow gets it open while on a speeding motorcycle * **

**Voice: Yep! In 3…2…1…GO!**

*** we both press the button simultaneously despite being across the world from each other ***

**Me: Wait! There's one more thing I need to say before we lose our signal! Make sure you write at the top that I DON'T own The Hunger Games!**

*** signal dies out ***

Chapter 20

I push myself away from Peeta's side. "Tonight?" I say, outraged. The guard nods.

"**It wasn't my decision, Miss Everdeen. President Coin made the decree herself," he says. I scoff at the use of the word "decree." It is almost as if she is a _queen _rather than a president. She has absolute rule in her District. How is she any different from Snow? The way she lies and plots and pushes around the people beneath her station do not set her apart from any selfish, power-crazed Capitol ruler.**

"**What do we need to do to be ready?" Peeta asks since I've remained silent.**

"**Put on these uniforms and meet by the clearing thirty minutes prior to departure." He drops two bundles of clothing on the ground in front of us. He salutes, and leaves. I pick up one of the bundles and inspect it. These new uniforms are different than the ones we've seen guards wearing. The dark green of those uniforms has been replaced by a solid black, highlighted by charcoal and gray in the camouflage pattern. On the shoulder of the right sleeve is the District 13 symbol stitched in silver thread. I move to go change, but Peeta's hand on my arm stops me.**

"**I think this one's yours," he smirks. I take the uniform from his hands and inspect it. It's the same as the other one, though it is considerably smaller, and on the left shoulder is an intricately embroidered depiction of my mockingjay pin. I sigh and roll my eyes.**

"**Well, I did sign up for this, I suppose. I guess I can handle my own "scarlet letter," I say, exasperated. I stand and walk towards the other side of the tree. With so much time on our hands and the amount of supplies being salvaged from the still hazardous District 13, Peeta and I have used our many blankets to create a makeshift curtain around ourselves. It wraps around the circumference of the trunk like a circular shower curtain. "Stay on your side," I order Peeta.**

"**I'm not making any promises," he teases, though I see his cheeks flush red just a bit. I smile at him. He teased me once about being pure, in that elevator, after our uncomfortable encounter with Johanna, but he's not exactly a corrupt soul. In fact, he's the most genuine, innocent person I've ever known. **

**I go to the opposite side of the tree, hopefully out of his line of sight, though I don't expect he'll peek. I take off my white District 13 everyday clothing and can't help but think I'm losing one uniform just to put on another. I sigh before stepping into the pants and then buttoning the shirt, which is rather loose against my small frame. I can't imagine how enormous Peeta's uniform would have been on me had he not noticed there was a difference. Tucking in my shirt and giving myself the best once-over that I can without a mirror, I decide I'm ready; however, I have to stop myself from stepping out on the off chance that Peeta isn't done yet. I clear my throat awkwardly. "Peeta? Are you, er, decent?"**

**He chuckles. "Katniss, you don't have to be so cautious. You've technically seen me naked before."**

**I wince at his words. "Not entirely. Just…nearly. I didn't…I didn't see what _counts._" I hear him laugh much louder this time. I wish he would tell me I could come out so that I can glare at him face-to-face. He finally stops laughing and pops his head around the trunk of the tree. "It's safe to come out now, Katniss. I'm not going to flash you," he says, widening his eyes and wiggling his fingers at me dramatically. I am glad to have the satisfaction of glowering at him personally. "Don't be like that," I warn him.**

"**I still can't get over it. He laughs again. "'What counts,'" he mocks. My face flushes a deep shade of red, and he notices. It seems to keep him quiet, at least for now. I take Peeta with me to say goodbye to Prim. She takes the news of our early departure better than I expected.**

"**Take care of yourself, Katniss. And take care of Peeta. How's that knee, Mellark?" Peeta scratches the back of his neck nervously. Prim lets him off the hook by turning her attention back to me. "I trust you to be safe. Just come back. And bring Finnick with you, okay?"**

**I nod and pull her to me in a tight hug. "I love you, Prim," I tell her. Though she already knows it of course. "I love you, too," she says, and pulls back a little to look me in the eye. "Be safe."**

**I nod once more and turn to my mother. She also tells me to be safe, though there are no reassurances that she loves me or even cares that I come home. I wonder if she told me to be safe simply for Prim's sake. It wouldn't be surprising. What is surprising is Prim's strength. She remains straight-faced, her features painted with concern, but not with fear or sadness. Though as I walk away, I turn back to her for a moment, and I think I see her eyes shining. Holding back tears. Peeta takes my hand and laces his fingers with mine. It is a simple gesture, not as noticeable as a hug, a kiss, or an arm around my shoulder. But it is what I want from him. Need from him. His subtle gestures are the ones that reassure me that I have made the right decision to let him get close to me. They prove how much he really loves me. I look at him, memorizing his features and his expression so I can remember this moment, so I can stay in it forever. Like that night on the roof before the Quell. He turns to me and holds my gaze. "What?" he asks me, his blue eyes showing that he is amused. "You keep staring at me. Do I have something on my face?"**

"**No, you don't have something on your face. I just happen to _like _your face. Or, looking at it, that is. I don't know. I'm terrible at compliments." He smiles, amused but not mocking like before. "I like your face, too," he grins, lifting my chin with one finger. I roll my eyes, yet I still lean into him. I close my eyes as our lips are about to meet, but they never do. I open them and look around. Peeta is looking over to our left. I discover that we've strolled close to the edge of the clearing, and so has Gale. His nose appears to be broken, and his lip is a bit swollen, but he seems to have retained no great injuries from the scuffle with Peeta. I look in the clearing and see that the hovercraft is preparing a little earlier than planned, as it is only about nine o'clock. I act quickly to avoid another confrontation.**

"**Peeta. We are going to walk away and get on the hovercraft. Okay? You are not going to speak to him. I don't care how he looks at you, or what he says to you; you have to leave him alone. This rescue mission is not about our petty fights with my…friend," I sneer at the word, but I can't think of how to describe our current situation. "This rescue mission is about Finnick. Not us."**

**He purses his lips, obviously upset, but he knows I am right. He cares too much about Finnick, Annie, and me to act on his anger. I take our joined hands and walk into the clearing, pulling him behind me. We check in with the guard by the hovercraft. He says that normally he wouldn't allow us onto the craft so early, but since I am the _Mockingjay_ (he drags out the word) he will make an exception. Peeta thanks him, as I refuse to do so, and we get on board the hovercraft. I find us a seat near the front and settle in, though I don't fasten my seat belt because we still have quite a while to go.**

"**Hey, you should get some sleep before we head out. It'll be a long trip, and it may be too loud to sleep once everyone else boards," Peeta suggests. **

"**Thank you. That's really sweet, actually." I lean into his waiting embrace and get comfortable. I soon fall asleep, hoping that my nap will be a refreshing one. Because when it's over, I have work to do. I have to bring Finnick home.**


End file.
